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AP - A nearly completed, $239 million weather satellite suffered significant damage when it toppled to the floor as it was being moved at a Lockheed Martin plant, officials said Tuesday. The satellite, NOAA-N Prime, was being moved from a vertical to a horizontal position when it fell about 3 feet Saturday at the Sunnyvale facility. According to a source close to the program, bolts that were supposed to secure the satellite to the turn over cart had been removed a day earlier by a crew working on another satellite project. The crew working on NOAA-N Prime did not notice the bolts were missing when they tried to flip the satellite, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Lockheed Martin spokesman Buddy Nelson said an initial evaluation revealed that the cart was not in the proper configuration for the planned activity. Were reviewing the paperwork and examining the hardware to determine the facts, he said. NASA, Lockheed Martin and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have formed investigation teams to study the accident, NASA said in a statement. Crews must wait for its batteries to drain and propellant tanks to depressurize before approaching the 14-foot satellite. It will probably be a couple to three weeks, said Gary Davis, director of the NOAAs office of systems development. The satellite was intended to go into polar orbit in 2008 and monitor the climate for up to four years. In addition to weather, vegetation and drought studies, it also was to be used for receiving signals from distress beacons used by mariners and hikers. Officials said it was too early to determine how its schedule might change as a result of the mishap or whether any of its planned activities will have to be changed. The construction and launch project is being overseen by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. After launch and testing, the satellite was to be turned over to NOAA. We are waiting for an assessment of the damage from the investigation teams, said Conrad C. We will have a better idea of the extent of the impact on our satellite programs when the results are available.
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