I have just learned of this report by Reuters: http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-01-11T2 13943Z_01_N11478762_RTRUKOC_0_US-SATELLITE-MILITARY.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsHome-C1-top News-2 Here is an excerpt: <<<< Expensive new U.S. spy satellite not working: sources Thu Jan 11, 2007 4:39pm ET By Andrea Shalal-Esa - Exclusive WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials are unable to communicate with an expensive experimental U.S. spy satellite launched last year by the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), a defense official and another source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday. Efforts are continuing to reestablish communication with the classified satellite, which cost hundreds of millions of dollars, but "the prognosis is not great at this point," said the defense official, who asked not to be identified. "They have not yet declared it a total loss. There are still some additional steps that can be taken to restore communication," the official added, noting some satellites had been recovered in similar situations in the past. The official said the problems were substantial and involved multiple systems, adding that U.S. officials were working to reestablish contact with the satellite because of the importance of the new technology it was meant to test and demonstrate. The other source said the satellite had been described to him as "a comprehensive failure. >>>> This is most unfortunate. I hope that communications and normal operation can be restored. Ted Molczan ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe/Unsubscribe info, Frequently Asked Questions, SeeSat-L archive: http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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