Nasa spacecraft misses target

An unmanned Nasa spacecraft designed to track and link with other orbiting craft failed to rendezvous with a United States military satellite 765km above the earth, Nasa said.

The 225kg Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (Dart) craft had a mishap in orbit that caused it to divert its path.

The Dart craft, 1.8m long and 0.9m in diameter, was supposed to manoeuvre within 5m of the satellite, a Nasa spokeswoman said, but came within 90m of its target.