Mission managers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, are assessing an anomaly with the radar instrument on NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite observatory. The radar is one of two science instruments on SMAP used to map global soil moisture and detect whether soils are frozen or thawed. Read more
NASA Launches Groundbreaking Soil Moisture Mapping Satellite
NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) observatory, on a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket, launched at 6:22 a.m. PST (9:22 a.m. EST) Saturday from Space Launch Complex 2, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. SMAP is NASAs first Earth-observing satellite designed to collect global observations of surface soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state. Read more
Two more MSU satellites launch into space
Two more satellites built by Montana State University students and partners at the University of New Hampshire have launched on a NASA mission. Originally set for Jan. 29, then Jan. 30, the launch finally occurred at 7:22 a.m. Mountain time Saturday, Jan. 31. About 75 minutes after the launch, MSUs satellite development program were expected to be featured on NASA TV. Read more
Launch of NASA Soil Moisture Mapping Mission Set for Saturday
NASAs Soil Moisture Active Passive mission (SMAP) now is scheduled to launch from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California at 9:20 a.m. EST (6:20 a.m. PST) Saturday, Jan. 31 on a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. NASA Television coverage of the launch will begin at 7 a.m. Read more
Two more MSU satellites set to launch on Jan. 29, MSU program to be featured on NASA TV
Two more satellites built by Montana State University students and partners at the University of New Hampshire are set to launch Thursday, Jan. 29, on a NASA mission. About 75 minutes later, MSUs satellite development program will be featured on NASA TV. Read more
During a Jan. 27 briefing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, officials and investigators involved with the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) program, discussed the mission science objectives of the ELaNa CubeSats being launched as auxiliary payloads on NASAs Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission on Jan. 29. ELaNa is a partnership between NASAs Launch Services Program and several universities to launch small research satellites.
NASA TV Coverage Set for Launch of Newest Earth-Observing Mission
NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission (SMAP) will lift off from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 9:20 a.m. EST (6:20 a.m. PST) on a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. Read more