Satellite breaks up after launch

A European Space Agency satellite that was to have collected data on polar ice broke up in flight after being launched on a converted Russian ballistic missile. The Russian space agency said remnants of the satellite crashed into the ocean.

The loss of the CryoSat satellite is a serious blow to the ESA, which had hoped to conduct a three-year mapping of polar sea ice and provide more reliable data for the study of global warming.

The mishap also damaged the reputation of the Russian space agency, which is aggressively trying to move into the commercial satellite launch business. German news reports said the satellite cost an estimated 173 million ($307 million).

The problem appeared to be with the booster rocket that was supposed to lift the CryoSat unit into orbit.