Efforts underway to save stray satellite

The Ariane-5 lifts off on July 12

(CNN) -- A European satellite designed in part to improve international space station communications will fire its chemical and ion thrusters in an attempt to boost itself to the correct orbit.

A French rocket delivered the $850 million spacecraft to an altitude about 11,200 miles (18,000 km) lower than expected on July 12.

One of the main objectives of the communications orbiter, known as Artemis, was to test experimental ion engines.

In an attempt to salvage the mission, the satellite will use its ion and chemical burners to try to lift itself to a geostationary orbit of 22,400 miles (36,000 km), European Space Agency managers said last week.

The improvisation will use up a significant amount of fuel, which will likely decrease the expected 10-year life span of the spacecraft, according to the agency.

The propulsion systems on the satellite were meant only to fine-tune the orbit or make slight position changes.

Artemis was designed to facilitate communications with space station Alpha and allow European researchers to manage other satellites in low orbit.

A drawing of the Artemis satellite

The Ariane-5 that carried it also delivered a Japanese television satellite to an orbit too low for it to operate. That mission is considered lost.

A leak in its fuel supply could have caused the rocket to leave the satellites in the wrong orbits, European investigators speculated.

The launch vehicle is designed to replace the Ariane-4. But the more powerful Arian-5 rocket has proven much less dependable than its predecessor.

The mishap is but one of numerous failures for the Ariane-5, which has flown 10 times. The older generation Ariane-4 rocket has performed successfully on 97 percent of its flights.