An Orbital Sciences Corp. [ORB] Taurus XL rocket is poised for liftoff tomorrow, when it will launch the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO), a NASA satellite to study just where increasing carbon in the atmosphere originates.
The Taurus will rise in predawn darkness at 1:51:30 a.m. PT from Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The blastoff can be viewed on NASA TV.
Technicians have mated the three stages of the upper stack, which carries the satellite, with Stage 0.
Carbon in the atmosphere is a leading cause of global warming, some scientists have found.
The OCO is a new Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by the Earth System Science Pathfinder Program. The spacecraft will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Scientists will analyze OCO data to improve understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important greenhouse gas.
Improved understanding will enable more reliable forecasts of future changes in the abundance and distribution of CO2 in the atmosphere and the effect that these changes may have on the Earth’s climate, according to NASA.