Heart's not in it this morning...

[alexpgp]

...which better change quickly. I need to get this robotics piece off my desk!

* * *I did my "usual" morning search on news of Hot Bird 8, which was the satellite I was to help process for a mid-May launch out of Baikonur, except that the Breeze-M upper stage carrying ArabSat failed to insert that bird into a proper orbit back in February.

Originally, the Russian commission appointed to investigate this failure was supposed to deliver a finding at the end of March, and then again a few days ago, but the only thing I've found so far was rumor and innuendo (i.e., "preliminary results") from the NASA Spaceflight site:

However, preliminary results are pointing towards a delay of several months, required to carry out corrective work on the Breeze M (Briz M) upper stage - cancelling the May 17th launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome of the Hot Bird 8 satellite.

There is a money quote - as in: I may miss out on some money - later in the report:

Hot Bird 8 [...] could be pushed down the schedule to the end of this year, or move to a launch via Arianespace's Ariane 5 launcher...

It makes sense that any comeback of the Breeze-M is going to be subjected to microscopic review by people versed in the cerulian blue art of "quality." Unlike the situation in government-funded space programs, though, the people looking hard at the Breeze-M have to launch satellites if they're going to get paid, else look for new jobs.

I'm going to keep my fingers crossed.

Cheers...