The CALIPSO spacecraft was unpacked from its shipping container in a clean room at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc, Calif. There final adjustments were made, and tests conducted preparing the spacecraft for integration into the rocket for launch. The unpacking is conducted in a "clean room" where vacuums, special filters and special clothing are used to keep dust, dirt and other contaminants away from the spacecraft.

In this image, the spacecraft is actually sitting upside down from its actual orbital orientation. In this photograph, the telescope is at the top, facing upward. When in orbit, the satellite will point with the telescope down, toward the Earth.