SWOT has successfully made contact with ground stations here on Earth and is providing teams with early data on the spacecraft’s health. A collaboration between NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the UK Space Agency, SWOT will provide high-resolution measurements …
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft has separated from the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage, beginning the first mission dedicated to surveying nearly all water on Earth’s surface. Teams expect to receive a signal from SWOT in the next 30 minutes – stay with us here on the blog as we’ll confirm when …
The Falcon 9’s second stage engine restarted for a short, six-second burn, and we have another successful second engine cutoff. Coming up next, in just under 10 minutes, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite will separate from the rocket.
While we wait for that second stage engine to restart, take a look at a few fun facts about today’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission: SWOT is the fourth Launch Services Program (LSP) science mission to launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on a SpaceX Falcon 9 SWOT is LSP’s 101st …
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage has successfully landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base’s landing zone 4 in California. Meanwhile, the engine in the Falcon 9’s second stage has cut off. The rocket’s upper stage and the spacecraft are now in a parking orbit, and in approximately 35 minutes, the engine will restart for …
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s nine Merlin engines have finished their burn, and the first stage has separated from the rocket. As the second stage continues carrying the U.S.- and French-led Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite on its journey, the rocket’s first stage will attempt a controlled landing at Vandenberg Space Force Base’s …
Ignition, and liftoff! At 3:46 a.m. PST, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base’s Space Launch Complex-4 East, carrying the first satellite to survey nearly all water on Earth’s surface. Stay here on the blog as we take you through some key flight milestones, coming up in the next couple of …
NASA Launch Director Tim Dunn has just given the final “go” for launch of the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite! In the next few moments, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s nine Merlin engines will roar to life, sending SWOT on the start of its journey to survey nearly all water on Earth’s …
We are just over 15 minutes away from liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will carry the Earth water-monitoring satellite to orbit. Weather continues to look good at 100% “go” for launch, and the rocket’s engines are chilling in preparation for launch. As a reminder, the launch broadcast is airing now on NASA …
Water is an essential part of life on Earth, and now, scientists are using a satellite mission to take a closer look. A joint development between NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the UK Space Agency, the Surface Water and Ocean …
