The fate of an ambitious European satellite research probe was in doubt Saturday as scientists lost radio contact with the probe after launch. Volker Liebig of the European Space Agency (ESA) said no radio signal had been received either from the "Cyrosat" satellite probe itself or from the final stage of the rocket launch, dpa reported. Cryosat was launched earlier Saturday from the Plesetsk launch facility in northern Russia. The probe was to have spent three years orbiting the earth and gathering information the effect of climate change on the polar ice caps by measuring the thickness of the thick ice sheets that cover the north and south poles. Officials from the ESA said it remained to be seen if the satellite had been lost or if contact could yet be established. Flight director Alan Smith, speaking at the ESA control centre in Darmstadt, Germany, said it was unclear if the final stage of the rocket had ignited. It was also possible that the satellite had taken a different orbit than planned, Smith said. Space stations on the ground were to attempt to track the position of the probe, a process that could take some days.
