Schmidt, R.Escoubet, C.P.Goldstein, Melvyn2023-11-072023-11-071998-05-20Schmidt, R., C. P. Escoubet, and M. L. Goldstein. “Phoenix and Cluster II—Towards a Recovery from the Loss of Cluster.” Advances in Space Research, Results of the IASTP Program, 20, no. 4 (January 1, 1997): 575–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0273-1177(97)00441-9.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0273-1177(97)00441-9http://hdl.handle.net/11603/30577The four-spacecraft Cluster mission was to aim, for the first time ever, at 3-dimensional measurements of small-scale processes (scale lengths ranging from a few hundred to thousands of kilometres) in the magnetosphere and the solar wind. The four spacecraft were identically equipped with a state-of the-art set of instruments to measure fields, particles and the composition of the plasmas along their highly eccentric, polar orbit. The launch took place on 4 June 1996. Unfortunately, the launcher blew up at an altitude of about 3700 m due to a major malfunction of its guidance system. The spacecraft were lost in this accident. The scientific community is trying to recover from this tragic loss by actively pursuing two alternatives for a replacement mission. As an immediate step towards a recovery, the European Space Agency has already given the go-ahead to industry to assemble the Cluster spare spacecraft and negotiations for a launch vehicle are underway. The scientific community prepares the case for a decision by the relevant funding authorities to either rebuild the Cluster mission or to build for small satellites carrying as many of the original Cluster instruments as possible.5 pagesen-USThis work was written as part of one of the author's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.Public Domain Mark 1.0http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/Text