NASA's carbon dioxide monitoring satellite has finally reached orbit. The satellite was safely delivered into space by a Delta II rocket.
Following a delayed launch due to a malfunctioning launch pad system, NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 may soon start its important mission. The earlier launch schedule was delayed at the very last second when the United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket that was carrying the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) suffered a malfunction in the launch pad water system. There was no time to specifically root out the source of the problem, and NASA's launch control team was forced to abort.
The water system protects the launch pad from the flames that spew out of the rocket and acts as a buffer from the shock wave that is produced when the rocket fires.
The process of troubleshooting can be cumbersome, as the liquid oxygen and kerosene propellants first have be removed from the rocket before the crew can go into the launch pad and figure out the problem.
"[A] valve that is part of the pulse suppression water system, which had operated properly during tests shortly before the launch countdown, failed to function properly during the final minutes of the launch attempt. The failed valve has been replaced with a spare, and the system is being tested in preparation for Wednesday's launch attempt." NASA reported.
The OCO-2 is NASA's first carbon-dioxide monitoring satellite. The original OCO failed to launch in 2009 and plummeted into the Pacific.
The OCO-2 satellite will measure carbon dioxide levels 24 times a second to help scientists find problem areas in the atmosphere. These areas produce high amounts of carbon dioxide and trap the gas in the Earth's atmosphere.
The mission costs around $465 million and will take the satellite into orbit 438 miles above our planet's surface, where it will take atmospheric measurements for about two years. Researchers say the spacecraft will pass over the same area every 16 days. The repeated measurements should improve accuracy and show increases and decreases in carbon dioxide levels. It will also help determine whether carbon sinks are actually exceeding capacity, how droughts and floods affect levels, and how seasonal fluctuations influence measurements.
The Delta II rocket safely blasted off into space earlier today at 5:56 a.m. EDT. The rocket was launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
