A NASA satellite lifted off early on Saturday with the hope that it will transmit data that will help the world do a better job of preparing for floods and droughts.
The satellite is on a three-year mission to track the amount of water locked in soil, which might help residents in low-lying regions brace for floods or farmers get ready for drought conditions.
The Delta 2 rocket carrying the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite launched shortly before sunrise from Vandenberg US Air Force Base on California’s central coast. As the rocket zoomed skyward, it gave off an orange glow.
Photo: EPA / NASA / BILL INGALLS
About an hour later, the satellite successfully separated from the rocket and began unfurling its solar panels to start generating power.
NASA launch manager Tim Dunn said there were zero launch problems with the rocket, calling the Delta 2 a “workhorse.”
Once the satellite reaches the desired 692km-high orbit, engineers are to spend two weeks checking out the two primary instruments, which are designed to measure moisture in the soil every several days to produce high-resolution global maps.
Photo: AFP / NASA / BILL INGALLS
Scientists hope that data collected by the satellite — the latest to join NASA’s Earth-observing fleet — will improve flood forecasts and drought monitoring.
At a news conference broadcast online, SMAP mission project manager Kent Kellogg said the launch went off without a hitch.
Currently, drought maps and flash-flood guidance issued by the US government are based on computer modeling. SMAP aims to take real-time measurements that can be incorporated into forecasts, mission science team leader Dara Entekhabi from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the US$916 million mission.
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