A SpaceX Falcon rocket has launched from Florida to put the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) in orbit. The satellite will be used by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to monitor the Sun. Read more
First Satellite to View Earth from Deep Space Set for Launch
A satellite that will be positioned between Earth and the sun to measure the solar energy reflected back to space by Earth as well as the infrared radiation emitted by the planet is scheduled for launch Feb. 8 or 9. Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography proposed the scientific objectives and began designing the instrument payload for the mission nearly 17 years ago. Read more
NASA TV Coverage Set for NOAA DSCOVR Launch Feb. 8
The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) is scheduled to launch at 6:10 p.m. EST Sunday, Feb. 8 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. A backup launch opportunity is available at 6:07 p.m. on Feb. 9, if needed. Read more
Many satellites that monitor the Earth orbit relatively close to the planet, while some satellites that monitor the sun orbit our star. DSCOVR will keep an eye on both, with a focus on the sun. To cover both the Earth and sun, it will have an unusual orbit in a place called L1. Read more
NASA's Deep Space Climate Observatory was designed to monitor Earth from the vantage point of distant space. It was to be the first probe to give scientists a holistic, global view of temperatures and environmental conditions. Originally named Triana, it became a poster child for then-Vice President Al Gore, who thought it would be a good idea for NASA to put a TV camera on the spacecraft so it could broadcast live views of Earth from the vantage point of deep space as a constant reminder that we share one world.