News:Computer blow to Europe's Goce gravity satellite

By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News
Goce artist's impression (Esa) Goce flies lower than any other scientific satellite

A flagship European Earth observation satellite has been struck by a second computer glitch and cannot send its science data down to the ground.

The Goce spacecraft is on a mission to make the most precise maps yet of how gravity varies across the globe.

In February, a processor fault forced operators to switch the satellite over to its back-up computer system.

This too has now developed a problem and engineers are toiling to make the spacecraft fully functional again.
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