expendable launch vehicle (Atlas I). Pre-launch and in-flight operations were supported by the Space Test and Transportation Program Office of the U.S. Air Force Space Division. Communications with CRRES abruptly stopped on October 12, 1991. Analysis presumed that an onboard battery failure resulted in loss of power to various systems resulting in a premature end to the mission about one year after launch instead of the original three-year plan. References Spacecraft launched by Atlas rockets NASA satellites orbiting Earth Spacecraft launched in 1990 Geospace monitoring satellites