A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Jason-3 spacecraft onboard is shown at Vandenberg Air Force Base Space Launch Complex 4 East in Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, January 16, 2016. REUTERS/Gene BlevinsSpace …
A $180 million satellite to study the world’s oceans in a changing climate will blast off Sunday atop a Falcon 9 rocket, which SpaceX will try to land on a floating platform after launch. The satellite, Jason-3 will show how global warming and sea level rise affect wind speeds and currents as close as 1 km from shore, whereas past satellites were limited to ~6.2 miles from the coast. “That is a significant advantage over our predecessors,” said Jim Silva,National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The technology will also monitor global sea surface heights, tropical cyclones and help support seasonal and coastal forecasts. During a 5-year mission, its data will also be used to aid fisheries management and research into human impacts on the world’s oceans.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Jason-3 spacecraft onboard is shown at Vandenberg Air Force Base Space Launch Complex 4 East in Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, January 16, 2016. REUTERS/Gene Blevins
The satellite is the fruit of a 4-way partnership between NOAA, NASA, French space agency CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales) and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Jason-3 spacecraft onboard is shown at Vandenberg Air Force Base Space Launch Complex 4 East in Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, January 16, 2016. REUTERS/Gene Blevins
After the rocket sends the satellite on its way, the first stage of the Falcon 9 will power back toward Earth in a bid to set itself down on a barge, or droneship, as SpaceX calls the floating platform. The attempt is the latest in a series of trial runs as SpaceX attempts to make rocket parts reusable, lowering the cost of spaceflight and making it more sustainable and accessible.
Elon Musk managed to land the Falcon 9’s first stage—the long, towering portion of rocket—on land at Cape Canaveral last month. But an ocean landing has proven elusive, with prior attempts ending in failure. SpaceX decided to try an ocean landing because it did not have the “environmental approval” to attempt a landing on solid ground in the area, though it hopes to in the future.” http://news.yahoo.com/spacex-rocket-launch-climate-satellite-try-ocean-landing-121931768.html
http://phys.org/news/2016-01-spacex-ocean-satellite-sunday.htmljCp
Recent Comments