New Scientist - Space - 2010 Feb 02
NASA will launch a replacement for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, a $278 million satellite that was lost during launch last year, the White House announced on Monday. The replacement, which should be able to measure man-made carbon dioxide emissions from cities and power plants, could pave the way for space probes designed to enforce future climate treaties.
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory was lost in February 2009 when a protective fairing atop the probe's Taurus XL rocket failed to separate during launch, and the satellite fell into the Pacific Ocean.