ST. LOUIS, July 15, 2004 -- NASA's quest to enhance the understanding of the Earth continues with the successful launch of the Aura satellite today aboard a Boeing [NYSE: BA] Delta II rocket.
The two-stage Delta II lifted off at 3:01 a.m. PDT from Space Launch Complex 2W at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
The launch vehicle deployed the spacecraft to a near polar, Sun-synchronous orbit following a 64-minute flight.
"Aura will provide invaluable information on the condition of our atmosphere," said Will Trafton, vice president and general manager, Boeing Expendable Launch Systems. "Our Delta launch team knows that mission success in deploying satellites that enable important research such as this to continue, will benefit the people of the world today and for future generations."
Four instruments onboard Aura, designed to survey different aspects of Earth's atmosphere, will send back data revealing how atmospheric composition affects and responds to Earth's changing climate. The satellite will help identify the processes that connect local and global air quality as well as provide data on whether or not the Earth's ozone layer is recovering.
The successful launch of Aura completes NASA's first series of Earth Observing System satellites that includes two other spacecraft ? Terra, which monitors land masses, and Aqua, which observes Earth's water cycle. A Boeing Delta II rocket launched Aqua from Vandenberg on May 4, 2002.
The Delta II vehicle that deployed Aura was a 7920-10L configuration rocket with a 10-foot diameter Boeing stretched payload fairing, a Boeing Rocketdyne RS-27A first stage engine, nine Alliant Techsystems strap-on solid rocket boosters, and an Aerojet AJ10-118K second stage engine.
The next Delta launch is NASA's Messenger mission in August from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., aboard a Delta II Heavy launch vehicle.
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