As a part of a collaborative mission with Argentina’s space agency, Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE), NASA last week successfully launched the Delta II Aquarius/SAC-D into space from Vandenberg AFB, Calif. The purpose of the mission is to provide unprecedented global maps of surface sea water salinity to discover how our oceans respond to climate change and the water cycle.
The Argentine-built SAC-D spacecraft will carry a suite of instruments on the three-year mission in space. Apart from NASA’s Aquarius technology specifically designed to map salinity, other equipment onboard will monitor fires, volcanic eruptions, and surface temperatures of the land and sea.
A Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-27A engine helped boost the Delta II 7320-10C launch vehicle. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a United Technologies Corp. [UTX] company.
“The RS-27A performed flawlessly, boosting the launch vehicle with the reliability and performance that it’s known for,” said Elizabeth Jones, RS-27A program manager, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. “We’re equally proud to know the RS-27A engine is playing a vital role in helping scientists better understand our planet and how ocean salt affects weather conditions worldwide, and we look forward to continuing to support NASA and our international partners in future endeavors.”