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Nature 399, 93 (13 May 1999) | doi:10.1038/20029

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Battery fault ends X-ray satellite mission

Alison Abbott

Astronomers around the world were last week lamenting the likely loss of Abrixas, a small German-built X-ray satellite whose batteries failed two days after a successful Russian launch.Some were also suggesting that the failure has raised doubts about the apparently high level of risk associated with so-called 'smaller, faster, cheaper' science missions.