Officials with the US Geological Survey announced that the organization can no longer collect data from its Landsat 5 Earth-imaging satellite. The cause of the malfunction is an electronic component that is currently degrading at a rapid pace.
The issue is not due to human or mechanical errors, but simply to old age. Landsat 5 has exceeded the venerable age of 27, which makes it practically ancient in satellite speak. When the spacecraft launched, back in 1984, it was supposed to last for only 3 years, yet it is still in operation today.
Over the years, key electronic subsystems on the vehicle gave way, as expected, but each time the USGS science team was able to revive the decaying satellite, as if through a miracle. However, the new glitch seems to be beyond anyone's power to recover from.
“This anticipated decline of Landsat 5 provides confirmation of the importance of the timely launch of the next Landsat mission and the need for an operational and reliable National Land Imaging System,” explained the US Department of the Interior assistant secretary of water and science, Anne Castle.
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