NASA delays launch of satellite to track carbon pollution

WASHINGTON: A water flow problem on Tuesday forced the US space agency to postpone the launch of a satellite to track atmospheric carbon dioxide, a leading greenhouse gas.

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 was due to take off atop a Delta 2 rocket at 2:56 am Pacific time (0956 GMT) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. But the operation was halted 46 seconds before scheduled liftoff time due to an issue with water flow to the rocket, NASA said.

The launch window on Tuesday was quite short, just 30 seconds.

The timing had to be precise so that the satellite could join the A-Train, a constellation of five other international Earth-observing satellites.

More details on the nature of the problem and a time for the next launch attempt were expected later Tuesday, NASA commentator George Diller said.

NASA´s previous attempts to launch carbon satellites failed in 2009 and 2011. (AFP)

Nasa readies satellite to measure atmospheric CO2

WASHINGTON: NASA is preparing a July 1 launch for its first satellite dedicated to measuring atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that plays a key role in climate change.

CO2 levels have reached their highest point in at least 800,000 years, according to the US space agency.

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite is very similar to its predecessor, OCO-1, which was destroyed during its launch in February 2009.The satellite will help provide a more complete and global picture of man-made and naturally occurring CO2 emissions as well as the effects of carbon "sinks," like oceans and forests, which absorb and trap the gas.

"Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere plays a critical role in our planet´s energy balance and is a key factor in understanding how our climate is changing," said Michael Freilich, director of NASA´s Earth Science Division.

"With the OCO-2 mission, NASA will be contributing an important new source of global observations to the scientific challenge of better understanding our Earth and its future," he added in a statement.

The OCO-2 satellite will be launched on a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, aiming for an orbit at 438 miles (705 kilometers) above the Earth´s surface.

NASA envisions it becoming the lead satellite for a six-strong fleet that will circle the Earth every 99 minutes, allowing nearly simultaneous observations across the globe.OCO-2, designed to operate for at least two years, will take measurements of carbon emissions and carbon sinks around the world to help scientists analyze how they change over time.

In April, monthly concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere surpassed 400 particles per million in the northern hemisphere, which NASA said was the highest level in at least the past 800,000 years.

Human activities -- including the burning of fossil fuels like oil, natural gas and coal -- are blamed for emitting nearly 40 billion tonnes of CO2 in the atmosphere each year, leading to an unprecedented accumulation of the greenhouse gas.

Climate scientists have concluded that the increase of CO2 emissions from human activities, especially from fossil fuels and deforestation, have upset the planet´s natural carbon cycle, prompting rising temperatures and planet-wide climate change.

Currently, less than half of the CO2 emitted by human activities remains in the atmosphere, scientists say.

Measurements of CO2 levels taken by the new satellite will be combined with data obtained by land-based observatories, airplanes and other satellites. (AFP)

Google buys satellite imaging firm for $500 mn

SAN FRANCISCO: Google announced plans Tuesday to buy the satellite group Skybox Imaging for $500 million in a move to improve mapping and other services using geospatial data.

"We´ve agreed to acquire Skybox Imaging, and we look forward to welcoming them to Google," a statement from the Internet giant said.

"Their satellites will help keep our maps accurate with up-to-date imagery. Over time, we also hope that Skybox´s team and technology will be able to help improve Internet access and disaster relief -- areas Google has long been interested in."

Skybox said in a blog post that the goal of the five-year-old firm was "to revolutionize access to information about the changes happening across the surface of the Earth."

"We´ve built and launched the world´s smallest high-resolution imaging satellite, which collects beautiful and useful images and video every day... The time is right to join a company who can challenge us to think even bigger and bolder, and who can support us in accelerating our ambitious vision."

The news comes two months after Google announced a deal to buy Titan Aerospace, a maker of solar-powered drones that could be used to boost Internet access to remote areas.

Google has also been working on its Project Loon, which uses large balloons for transmitting Internet signals to regions that are not now connected.(AFP)

Japan launches new satellite to survey disasters

TOKYO: Japan successfully launched a new mapping satellite on Saturday that will be used to survey damage from natural disasters and changes affecting rainforests.

The Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2) will be able to see scars left by catastrophes such as Japan's 2011 tsunami as well as monitor progress made in reconstruction, officials from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.

"The satellite was successfully put in orbit," said an official from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, whose H-IIA rocket was used in the launch from a space centre on the southern island of Tanegashima.

The satellite will provide valuable data for Japan, which sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and experiences 20 percent of all major earthquakes.

Memories are still fresh of the deadly 9.0-magnitude earthquake in March 2011 that unleashed a tsunami that devastated the northern Pacific coast, killing more than 18,000 people and triggering the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

The island nation is also routinely hit by typhoons while scientists say Mount Fuji could erupt at any time.

The new satellite, nicknamed "Daichi-2", will "conduct a health check mainly of the Earth's land areas in detail," JAXA project manager Shinichi Suzuki said.

The satellite will collect data related to deformation of the Earth's crust, but also the impact of floods and landslides, he said.

The satellite's predecessor was used to monitor damage caused by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The device uses special radar to observe the planet's surface at night, during bad weather and even through vegetation.

JAXA plans to use the new satellite to regularly study tropical rain forests, which are difficult to observe because of the thick clouds that frequently cover them. It will also be used to observe snow and ice conditions in polar areas, officials said.

Japan launches new satellite to survey disasters

TOKYO: Japan successfully launched a new mapping satellite on Saturday that will be used to survey damage from natural disasters and changes affecting rainforests.

The Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2) will be able to see scars left by catastrophes such as Japan's 2011 tsunami as well as monitor progress made in reconstruction, officials from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.

"The satellite was successfully put in orbit," said an official from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, whose H-IIA rocket was used in the launch from a space centre on the southern island of Tanegashima.

The satellite will provide valuable data for Japan, which sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and experiences 20 percent of all major earthquakes.

Memories are still fresh of the deadly 9.0-magnitude earthquake in March 2011 that unleashed a tsunami that devastated the northern Pacific coast, killing more than 18,000 people and triggering the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

The island nation is also routinely hit by typhoons while scientists say Mount Fuji could erupt at any time.

The new satellite, nicknamed "Daichi-2", will "conduct a health check mainly of the Earth's land areas in detail," JAXA project manager Shinichi Suzuki said.

The satellite will collect data related to deformation of the Earth's crust, but also the impact of floods and landslides, he said.

The satellite's predecessor was used to monitor damage caused by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The device uses special radar to observe the planet's surface at night, during bad weather and even through vegetation.

JAXA plans to use the new satellite to regularly study tropical rain forests, which are difficult to observe because of the thick clouds that frequently cover them. It will also be used to observe snow and ice conditions in polar areas, officials said.

122 potential objects seen in Malaysia jet satellite images

KUALA LUMPUR: Fresh satellite images taken during the search for a missing passenger jet show 122 "potential objects" in one area of the Indian Ocean, Malaysia said Wednesday.

The images from Airbus Defence and Space in France show the objects in a 400-square-kilometre (160-square-mile) area of the ocean, said Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

 

China demands Malaysian satellite data on plane

BEIJING: China demanded Tuesday that Malaysia turn over satellite data used to conclude that a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet was lost in the southern Indian Ocean with no survivors during a flight to Beijing.

Among the flight´s 239 passengers, 153 were Chinese nationals, making the incident a highly emotional one for Beijing. Family members of the missing passengers have complained bitterly about a lack of reliable information and some suspect they are not being told the whole truth.

Deputy Foreign Minister Xie Hangsheng told Malaysia´s ambassador to Beijing that China wanted to know what exactly led Malaysia to announce Monday night that the plane had been lost, China´s Foreign Ministry said on its web site. "We demand the Malaysian side to make clear the specific basis on which they come to this judgment," Xie was quoted as telling Datuk Iskandar Bin Sarudin during their meeting late Monday.

There was no immediate response from the Malaysian side. Monday´s announcement sparked mournful, angry and chaotic scenes at the Beijing hotel where relatives had gathered. Around 2:00 a.m. Tuesday morning (1800 GMT Monday) a group of family members read out a statement condemning Malaysia Airlines and the Malaysian government and military and vowing to hold them responsible for the deaths of their loved ones.

The plane vanished less than an hour into an overnight flight March 8 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Relatives planned to stage a further protest outside the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing.

New satellite images raise hopes in search for missing jet

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  AP Japanese Commander Hidetsugu Iwamasa, centre, speaks to the media after his P-3C Orion from Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force arrived at Royal Australian Air Force Pearce Base in Perth on Sunday, to help with search operations for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

 
AP A Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion takes off to join the search for the missing Malaysian jet in Perth on Sunday.

A French satellite provided new images of potential debris from a missing Malaysian passenger jet in the southern Indian Ocean as Australian officials on Sunday expressed “increasing hope” that remnants of the plane would be found in the area.

France sent the satellite images on Sunday and they were forwarded to Australia, which is leading the southern Indian Ocean search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, Malaysia’s Transport Ministry said.

The images were of “potential objects,” the Ministry said without being specific.

Although a fourth day of searching in the area yielded no confirmed evidence of the plane, Australian officials expressed optimism that clues would be found in the March 8 disappearance of the Boeing 777.

The French images followed on the heels of two other satellite sightings of potential debris.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott spoke of “very credible leads” and said there was “increasing hope... that we might be on the road to discovering what did happen.” Spirits were buoyed by an image of a large object, 22.5 metres by 13 metres, captured in the area by a Chinese satellite on Tuesday, two days after the initial satellite images were broadcast. The separate sightings were in relatively close proximity.

A search plane on Sunday also spotted “several small objects of interest,” including a wooden pallet and different coloured straps, officials leading the search said.

“It’s a possible lead,” Australian Maritime Safety Authority official Mike Barton said in Canberra. “We’ve gone back to that area today to try and refind it. It’s a possible lead.” Two Chinese aircraft and two from Japan joined the international force of ships and planes searching an area 2,500 kilometres south-west of Perth.

Two patches of ocean are being searched with a combined area of 59,000 sq. km more than two weeks after the plane with 239 people on board vanished from radar while it was on a flight that was to take it from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The search zones have been expanded extensively as no debris has been turned up and the mystery surrounding the plane’s fate has deepened.

The object photographed last week by the Chinese satellite was about 120 kilometres from where the first images of possible debris from Flight MH370 were taken.

Australia’s HMAS Success is already in the search area, and Chinese, British and more Australian naval vessels were en route.

Two merchant ships had also been taking part in the search on requests by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, but one was released as more vessels arrived in the area.

The Hoegh St Petersburg, a Norwegian cargo vessel transporting cars, is now bound for Melbourne, its original destination, its owner, Hoegh Autoliners, said.

Rajshri-Salman Khan-Star Plus in talks regarding satellite rights of the film

Salman Khan

With Salman Khan having signed a 500 crore deal with Star Plus, it was widely speculated that Sooraj Barjatya has sold the satellite rights to Khan, who is in agreement with the channel to telecast all his films. While the channel has confirmed that all of Khan’s film releasing between 2012 to 2017 will be aired on Star network, the official spokesperson of Rajshri Productions said that talks are in progress to work out the nitty-gritty of the deal and an announcement will be made soon. “A decision will be made by next week. Soorajji, Salman and the channel have to arrive at a consensus. Nothing has been finalised as yet. Regarding whether Salman will waive off his fees, will be decided at the meeting. I cannot comment on it.”
The untitled film will go on floors in June with a 90 days schedule in Mumbai and about 10 to 12 days shoot in Gujarat. The film is slated to release in November 2015, around Diwali . Describing it as a light entertainer, the film that will see Salman Khan in a double role, will be more on the lines of Maine Pyaar Kiya. “It will be a light entertainer, with equal dose of romance and action. Nowadays, family dramas are seen mostly on television. I do not think that the audience is interested in watching it on the big screen,” states the spokesperson. Refuting rumours that Arman Kohli has been signed to play Khan’s brother, the spokesperson said that, “it is Neil Nitin Mukesh who will play Salman’s brother.” The film also stars Anupam Kher, Deepak Dobriyal and Swara Bhaskar in pivotal roles.