NASA - NPP Satellite patch / NASA - NPOESS patch labeled.
Fri, 28 Oct 2011
Launch of the NPP spacecraft aboard a Delta II rocket
NASA and NOAA officials congratulated each other this morning following the successful launch of the NPP spacecraft aboard a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. Ken Schwer, NPP Project Manager, led off a news conference this morning about three hours after liftoff. He will be part of the team who will get the spacecraft checked out during the next several weeks so it can begin its Earth observing mission.
Image above: Liftoff of the NPP aboard a Delta II rocket at Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Calif. Photo credit: NASA / Bill Ingalls.
"Now the future of NPP starts and we look forward to NPP touching the rest of the world," Schwer said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association is expected to use the data from NPP as part of its weather forecasting.
NPP Launch
NPP will "make America a more weather-ready nation," said Mary Glackin, NOAA's deputy undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere. The NPP spacecraft was launched on-time at 5:48 a.m. EDT.
The NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) represents a critical first step in building the next-generation Earth-observing satellite system that will collect data on both long-term climate change and short-term weather conditions.
NPP Satellite in orbit
NPP will extend and improve upon the Earth system data records established by NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) fleet of satellites that have provided critical insights into the dynamics of the entire Earth system: clouds, oceans, vegetation, ice, solid Earth and atmosphere.
The mission is scheduled to launch on Oct. 28, 2011 at 2:48 a.m. PDT/ 5:48 a.m. EDT, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., is managing NPP for the Earth Science Division in NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.
For more information about NPP Mission, visit: http://jointmission.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Images, Video, Text, Credits: NASA / NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center / NOAA.
Cheers, Orbiter.ch
