ESA GOCE satellite launch set for March 16

PARIS, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency says the launch of its GOCE satellite has been scheduled for March 16 following repair of an anomaly with its launcher.

The launch had been originally scheduled for last October from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia.

The ESA said the 16-foot-long GOCE (Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer) satellite -- built by an all-European consortium of more than 40 companies -- is the first in a series of Earth observation satellites called Earth Explorers. It will orbit 155 miles above the surface of the planet.

"The data acquired by GOCE will bring about a whole new level of understanding of one of the Earth's most fundamental forces of nature," the ESA said. "Mapping the gravity field with unprecedented accuracy, the GOCE mission will realize a broad range of fascinating new possibilities for the fields of oceanography, solid Earth physics, geodesy and sea-level research -- significantly contributing to our understanding of climate change."