With this second try, mission planners have added a few new extras. The spacecraft will be carrying a backup for its main payload, the SAR/Interferometric Radar Altimeter (SIRAL). That means it needs a second set of electronics. More expensive, but it’ll have complete redundancy now. Some other design shortcomings were fixed, and the software has been improved to make the spacecraft easier to operate.
If all goes well, the spacecraft should be almost completely reassembled by late 2007, in preparation for its 2009 launch.
Original Source: ESA News Release
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