Dnepr rocket to launch Europe's CryoSat-2 satellite Problems that were to blame for delays in the launch of a European research satellite have been solved and is scheduled to take-off on April 8, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Friday.

"The technical issue with the second stage of the Dnepr rocket that delayed the launch of ESA's Earth Explorer CryoSat-2 satellite in February has now been resolved - and the new launch date of 8 April has been set," the agency said in a report.

"CryoSat is Europe's first mission dedicated to monitoring Earth's ice fields. The advanced observation techniques being employed by the CryoSat mission will provide precise measurements on variations in the thickness of floating marine ice as well as the vast ice sheets that overlie Antarctica and Greenland. This information will lead to a better understanding of the relationship between ice and climate change," the ESA said.

"The launch of CryoSat-2 was originally scheduled to take place from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 25 February, but had to be postponed owing to a problem with the fuel reserve in the launcher's second stage," it said.

The new launch date was set for the end of March, but the mission was deferred again.

Vladimir Andreyev, general director of Kosmotras, a Moscow-based company that runs commercial missions of Dnepr rockets, told Interfax-AVN the reason for the postponement was that designers had suggested a new technique to ensure the mission is successful.

He explained that due to the satellite's weight and orbit parameters "the algorithm for the use of rocket fuel components is being reprogrammed to make it more optimal."

The Dnepr is a conversion from the Soviet-era SS-18 intercontinental ballistic missile.