The vehicle just passed Mach 5 and all is going well with the flight.
Solids Burn Out and Separate
The vehicle has passed Max Q, the area of maximum aerodynamic pressure. The solid rocket boosters completed their burn about a minute into the flight and have fallen away.
Liftoff! Delta II, OCO-2 Climbing Toward Orbit
Ignition and liftoff! OCO-2’s voyage gets underway with a spectacular predawn liftoff from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The Delta II rocket is lighting the skies as it climbs out over the Pacific Ocean. The rocket’s first stage is providing 200,000 pounds of thrust and getting an additional boost from the …
One Minute and Counting
Liftoff is one minute away!
Two Minutes
Only two minutes left in the countdown.
T-4 Minutes and Counting
OCO-2 is four minutes away from the start of its journey.
Polls Complete: OCO-2 is ‘Go’
NASA Launch Manager Tim Dunn and ULA Launch Conductor Ward Johansen have performed one last round of polls and all teams are ready to proceed with the countdown. Stand by for release of the T-4 minute hold.
Spacecraft on Internal Power
The OCO-2 spacecraft is running on internal power and configured for launch.
Final Built-in Hold Begins
Clocks are holding at T-4 minutes. This is a 10-minute built-in hold and the last one planned in today’s countdown.
T-15 Minutes and Counting
Countdown clocks are ticking again. There will be one more built-in hold at the T-4 minute mark.