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ESA Satellite Recovers: Total Loss To Geostationary

Posted by timothy on from the falling-forward-all-the-time dept.

Slimbob writes "About 2 years ago an Ariane 5 rocket malfunctioned and left a very expensive Artemis satellite in an unusable orbit. Well, over the course of 18 months, the European Space Agency actually managed to push the satellite into a usable orbit using measly 15mN ion thrusters! They managed the feat by reprogramming about 20% of the original control software and uplinking the patches to the satellite! See the ESA press release . Achievements include the first first major reprogramming of a telecommunications satellite, the first orbital transfer to geostationary orbit using ion propulsion, and the longest ever operational drift orbit."

3 of 47 comments (clear)

  1. Standard Install by dodgy_geeza · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Sounds like my first attempt at installing Linux years ago. Installed it, pactched it, wiped it, fscked off.

  2. IN SOVIET RUSSIA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    In Soviet Russia, Satellites orbit you!!!
    Oh, wait...um, yeah, that works.

    1. Re:IN SOVIET RUSSIA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      Heh, I was walking outside about 15 minutes ago and saw an SBC service van parked outside of one of the buildings here at UC Berkeley, and on the side was an advertisement for SBC Yahoo DSL. Aparently, their new slogan is "Internet that logs onto you." I immediately thought that somebody had spent too much time reading the In Soviet Russia jokes on /.

      -Posting as anonymous coward because I don't need any more karma and there's nothing original here.