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European satellite lost in Arctic Ocean

Officials with the Russian space programme have said a European satellite, designed to investigate global warming, has crashed into the Arctic Ocean.

The European Space Agency's Cryosat spacecraft was launched from northern Russia but failed to send a signal to mission controllers.

Officials say there was a fault in the spacecraft's booster unit that should have lifted it into orbit.

Radar tracking stations are searching for the satellite which Russian authorities believe has been lost near the North Pole.