Delta II, JPSS-1 Aim for Launch Today

A ULA Delta II rocket carrying NOAA's JPSS-1 spacecraft stands poised for launch.
The United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket carrying NOAA’s JPSS-1 spacecraft stands poised for launch at Space Launch Complex 2, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Photo courtesy of ULA.

NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System-1 spacecraft is slated to get a boost into polar orbit this morning aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 2 at California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base is scheduled for 1:47 a.m. PST (4:47 a.m. EST). Weather is expected to be favorable; the 30th Weather Squadron’s Capt. Ross Malugani, serving as today’s launch weather officer, will give the launch team an update shortly.

The Delta II rocket set to launch NOAA's JPSS-1 spacecraft stands at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

At this time, the countdown is on hold at the T-15 minute mark. This is a planned hold built into the Delta II countdown. The countdown should resume in about seven minutes.

The rocket has been loaded with its propellants, cryogenic liquid oxygen and a rocket-grade kerosene called RP-1.

JPSS-1 is the first in NOAA’s series of four, next-generation operational environmental satellites designed to circle the Earth in a polar orbit. JPSS represents significant technological and scientific advancements in observations used for severe weather prediction and environmental monitoring. This data is used by NOAA’s National Weather Service for numerical forecast models, ultimately helping emergency managers make timely decisions on life-saving early warnings and evacuations.

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