NASA's controversial $50 million Triana Earth observation satellite may not be launched until 2004, if at all. The programme, which was spearheaded by former US vice president Al Gore, has been delayed by funding constraints and political issues.
The spacecraft was originally due to be launched on a Space Shuttle mission this November, but it will be placed in storage at a cost of $7 million. Further spending leading to the launch will bring the cost of the spacecraft to $158 million.
Triana, nicknamed GoreSat, was introduced by Gore in 1998 to provide continuous live images of the Earth from deep space to "inspire" the world's population through the internet.
Its original cost of $50 million was increased when NASA decided that the spacecraft would also need a suite of science instruments, including those for ozone mapping, to meet with Congressional approval.
Source: Flight International