Vandenberg launches meteorological satellites
Air Force Space Command News Service
Courtesy of 30th Space Wing Public Affairs
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - The Air Force successfully launched a Boeing Delta II rocket from here Jan. 12.
There were two payloads on the rocket: ICESat, an Ice Cloud and land Elevation Satellite, and CHIPSat, a Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer.
ICESat, a 661-pound satellite, is a benchmark satellite for the Earth Observing System that will help scientists determine if the global sea level is rising or falling. It will observe the ice sheets that blanket the Earth's poles to determine if they are growing or shrinking. It will assist in developing an understanding of how changes in the Earth's atmosphere and climate affect polar ice masses and global sea level. The Geoscience Laser Altimeter System is the sole instrument on the satellite.
CHIPSat, a suitcase-size 131-pound satellite, will provide information about the origin, physical processes and properties of the hot gas contained in the interstellar medium.
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