Japanese Satellite Lost in Russian Rocket ExplosionVoice of America -
Felgenhauer says this is very serious, because the Proton has liquid heptyl fuel, a cancer-causing substance, which could have fallen on populated areas, although that part of Kazakhstan is not very populated.
Contact lost with Aussie satellite
A scientist thinks Australia's only non-commercial satellite may have run out of battery power.
The 58-kilogram FedSat has been operating since 2002.
It was only supposed to last for three years.
The University of South Australia has been responsible for its day-to-day operation and says it has lost contact with the public satellite.
Scientist Andrew Parfitt says it could orbit Earth for another century before burning up.
"It was designed to actually measure some of the Earth's magnetic fields to detect when there are disturbances caused by particles ejected from the sun," he said.
"These particles that are ejected from the sun basically cause disruptions to communications and other services as well.
"I think it's done 20,000 orbits of the Earth at an altitude of about 800 kilometres so I guess that adds up to something like a billion kilometres."
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