Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2
.jpg) Artist depiction of OCO-2 | |
| Mission type | Environmental |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 2014-035A |
| SATCAT № | 40059 |
| Mission duration | 2 years planned |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | LEOStar-2 |
| Manufacturer | Orbital |
| Launch mass | 454 kg (1,001 lb) |
| Dry mass | 409 kg (902 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2 July 2014, 09:56 UTC |
| Rocket | Delta II 7320-10C |
| Launch site | Vandenberg SLC-2W |
| Contractor | United Launch Alliance |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous |
| Perigee | 708 kilometres (440 mi)[1] |
| Apogee | 710 kilometres (440 mi)[1] |
| Inclination | 98.22 degrees[1] |
| Period | 98.83 minutes[1] |
| Epoch | January 24, 2015, 22:03:16 UTC[1] |
| Main spectrometer | |
| Type | Near-infrared spectrometer |
| Wavelengths |
2.06 microns 1.61 microns 0.765 microns[2] |
 | |
Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2) is an American environmental science satellite which launched on 2 July 2014. A NASA mission, it is a replacement for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory which was lost in a launch failure in 2009.
Mission description
The OCO-2 satellite was built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, based around the LEOStar-2 bus.[3] The spacecraft will be used to study carbon dioxide concentrations and distributions in the atmosphere.[4]
OCO-2 was ordered after the original OCO spacecraft failed to achieve orbit. During the first satellite's launch atop a Taurus-XL in February 2009, the payload fairing failed to separate from around the spacecraft and the rocket did not have sufficient power to enter orbit with its additional mass. Although a Taurus launch was initially contracted for the reflight, the launch contract was cancelled after the same malfunction occurred on the launch of the Glory satellite two years later.[5]
.jpg)
United Launch Alliance launched OCO-2 using a Delta II rocket at the beginning of a 30-second launch window at 09:56:23 UTC (2:56:23 PDT) on 2 July 2014. Flying in the 7320-10C configuration, the rocket launched from Space Launch Complex 2W at Vandenberg Air Force Base.[6] The initial launch attempt on 1 July at 09:56:44 UTC was scrubbed at 46 seconds on the countdown clock due to a faulty valve on the water suppression system, used to flow water on the launch pad to dampen the acoustic energy during launch.[7]
OCO-2 joined the A-train satellite constellation, becoming the sixth satellite in the group. Members of the A-train fly very close together in sun-synchronous orbit, to make nearly simultaneous measurements of Earth. A particularly short launch window of 30 seconds was necessary to achieve a proper position in the train.[8] As of January 24, 2015 it was in an orbit with a perigee of 708 kilometres (440 mi), an apogee of 710 kilometres (440 mi) and 98.22 degrees inclination.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Peat, Chris (January 24, 2015). "OCO 2 - Orbit". Heavens-Above. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 Launch" (PDF). NASA. July 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ↑ Krebs, Gunter. "OCO 1, 2 (ESSP 5)". Gunter's Space Page. It has a mass of 454 kilograms (1,001 lb) and a design life of two years.
- ↑ "Carbon dioxide-sniffing spacecraft set to launch". Spaceflight Now. 28 June 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ↑ Graham, William (30 June 2014). "ULA Delta II launch with OCO-2 rescheduled for Wednesday". NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ↑ "Delta II OCO-2 Mission" (PDF). United Launch Alliance. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ↑ "Launch of NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 Rescheduled for July 2". NASA. 1 July 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ↑ Rosalie Murphy (27 June 2014). "Five Things About OCO-2". NASA. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
External links
Media related to Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 at Wikimedia Commons
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