What’s being called the first space mission to survey most of the water on Earth’s surface kicked off with a spectacular launch from the Central Coast early Friday morning.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 3:46 a.m., carrying the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite into orbit. Less than ten minutes later, the first stage booster landed back at the base, creating twin sonic booms heard in parts of the Tri-Counties.
The launch took place a day later than planned. The launch team noticed moisture in two of the Falcon 9 rocket’s engines, and wanted to investigate. But, they gave the all clear for liftoff several hours later.
It will take several days to deploy the SWOT satellite’s elements, and orient its orbit properly towards the sun. Then it will be calibrated, with plans calling for it to be fully operational by the middle of next year. It will survey Earth’s surface water every 21 days.
