An
ocean-monitoring satellite that launched from the California coast has
separated from its SpaceX rocket and been sent toward orbit.
With
the Falcon 9 rocket's second stage and the Jason-3 satellite continuing
toward orbit, SpaceX will now try to land its first stage on a floating
barge in the Pacific Ocean.
Liftoff occurred as planned at 10:42 a.m. (1842 GMT) Sunday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, northwest of Los Angeles.
The
mission of the Jason-3 satellite is to continue an unbroken record of
more than two decades of sea level measurements from orbit.
California-based SpaceX hopes to reduce launch costs by reusing rockets rather than having them fall into the ocean.
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10:45 a.m.
A
U.S.-European satellite designed to detect and measure ocean phenomena
has launched aboard a SpaceX rocket under mostly cloudy skies from the
California coast.
Liftoff occurred as planned at 10:42 a.m. (1842 GMT) Sunday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, northwest of Los Angeles.
After
sending the Jason-3 satellite into orbit the Falcon 9 rocket will
attempt to land its discarded first stage on a floating barge in the
Pacific Ocean.The mission of Jason-3 is to continue an unbroken record of more than two decades of sea level measurements from orbit.
Like its predecessors, Jason-3 is equipped with radar altimeter to bounce microwave energy off the ocean and a GPS system to identify the satellite's precise location.
The cost of the mission, including five years of operation, was put at $180 million.