They've traced the problem to the failure of protective material that was lining the throat of an engine nozzle.
This led to a drop in combustion pressure and acceleration.
When it became clear Vega-C wouldn't make it to orbit, a self-destruct command was sent, which also annihilated the satellites onboard.
These were two high-resolution Earth imagers built by the aerospace company Airbus.
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Deforestation for agriculture and fires were the main drivers of the increase, according to the authors.
The scientists say that a "collapse" in law enforcement in recent years has encouraged forest clearing.
The research findings have been submitted for publication but have yet to be independently reviewed. As home to the largest tropical forest on Earth, the Amazon plays a critical role...
Shortly after 03:30 GMT on Monday, Earth's orbit meant that for several minutes our planet was positioned directly between the Sun and the Moon.
In that time the Moon fell completely into Earth's shadow - temporarily turning it a dusky shade of dark red.
Its hue was created by sunlight being projected through Earth's atmosphere onto the Moon's shadowed surface.
The lunar eclipse coincided...
The robotics professor has been leading the development of a tiny wheeled robot called Iris, which could become the first uncrewed rover sent by the US to explore the Moon.
Iris has not been built by experienced engineers at Nasa or a large aerospace company, but by students at Whittaker's home institution of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh. The robot was recently secured to its...
Absolutely, says Ralph McNutt from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU-APL) in the US.
McNutt, with colleagues, has just published a detailed report that envisions a long-lived interstellar probe - a mission to the space between the stars.
Nasa's legendary Voyagers are travelling through this domain right now, but McNutt's probe would go further and...
