Two Weather Satellites About to Launch
16th Sep 2005, 23:07 GMT
Artist's concept of CloudSat and Calipso orbiting Earth. Image credit: NASA Click to enlarge Sep 16, 2005 - NASA has two new Earth Observation satellites in the final stages of preparation before their launch: CloudSat and Calipso. The two satellites will be launched together by a Boeing Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. They will be launched into a polar orbit, and maintain a close formation. CloudSat has an extremely powerful cloud-profiling radar, which can distinguish between cloud particles and precipitation. Calipso will be able to detect aerosol particles in the air, and can tell the difference between these particles and clouds to measure the amount of air pollution. They may launch as soon as October 26. Full Story Related Stories Discuss this Story