Landsat 6 appears to be lost

Abstract

Earth resources satellite Landsat 6 was launched aboard a Titan II space launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on October 5. But a week after what experts had thought was a successful launch, the $220 million satellite has not yet been contacted.“Initially, we thought the satellite went into the wrong orbit, but now we don't know if it ever went into orbit,” said Earth Observation Satellite Co. spokesperson Carla Adams on October 13. Angela Calos, spokesperson for NOAA, verified that contact has not been made with Landsat 6, adding “It is hard to tell right now whether the loss is permanent.”