Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO)-2 Scheduled To Head To Orbit On July 1

OCO-2, NASA’s first spacecraft dedicated to studying carbon dioxide, is set for a July 1 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Its mission is to measure the global distribution of carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth’s climate. OCO-2 replaces a nearly identical spacecraft lost in a rocket launch mishap in February 2009.

NASA outined details of the mission at a briefing on June 12 at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The briefing participants were:

• Betsy Edwards, OCO-2 program executive with the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington
• Ralph Basilio, OCO-2 project manager with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California
• Mike Gunson, OCO-2 project scientist at JPL
• Annmarie Eldering, OCO-2 deputy project scientist at JPL

OCO-2 is one of five NASA Earth science missions scheduled for launch in 2014. NASA monitors Earth's vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our planet is changing. The agency shares this unique knowledge with the global community and works with institutions around the world that contribute to understanding and protecting our home planet.

(Image provided by NASA)

FMI: www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow