DARMSTADT, Germany -- A European satellite that was stranded in a uselessly low orbit at its launch has inched its way higher in the sky under its own power and is getting closer to a geo-stationary orbit, ground control said Friday, one year later.

Artemis, a scientific satellite, cost European countries 800 million euros (almost 800 million dollars) to build and launch. There was fury when an Ariane 5 rocket had a hiccup and separated from Artemis at an altitude of 17,500 kilometers on July 12, 2001, the German news agency, DPA reported, as quoted by IRNA.

It was meant to be stationed at almost double that height, 36,000 kilometers, so it could be kept "parked" over Europe.

Artemis was not just packed with communications gear though: It also had a rocket motor. So it was ordered to start climbing.

It is currently gaining 15 kilometers a day in its slow battle with gravity. The Little Satellite That Could is expected to reach operating orbit by the start of next year, officials at the European Space Operations Center (ESOC), in Darmstadt, Germany, said.

Engineers in Italy devised the unconventional rescue operation, using a thruster that had been given a generous fill up with chemical fuel before launch, and four ion propulsion units that were only intended to stabilize Artemis in regular orbit.

The European Space Organization will use Artemis to see if permanent laser rays rather than radio signals can be used for data transmission. The satellite will also test new frequencies that could later be used by mobile phones.