According to a Dec. 26 posting on the Web site http://www.iol.co.za, a Russian-Ukrainian Earth survey satellite launched Dec. 24 from Plesetsk cosmodrome, located 800 kilometers north of Moscow, failed to reach its planned orbit. The satellite, Sich-1M, was launched on a Russian Tsiklon-3 rocket. According to the report, it is not yet known whether the satellite can complete its mission in the orbital slot it currently resides in or whether it will be able to reach its designated orbital position.