A Delta II rocket is scheduled to launch between 9-9:30 a.m. EST on Dec. 11 from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
The rocket will carry NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer satellite.
Once in orbit, the WISE satellite will scan the entire sky with infrared light, picking up the glow of hundreds of millions of objects and producing millions of images, according to a NASA press statement.
“The voluminous quantity of images the WISE satellite can generate will help scientists answer fundamental questions about the origins of planets, stars and galaxies, and provide data for astronomers,” the statement reads.
The Delta II is an expendable launch, medium-lift vehicle used to launch military, civil and commercial payloads into low-earth, polar, geosynchronous transfer and stationary orbits.