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SpaceX's Dragon capsule, recovered from the Pacific Ocean. (SpaceX) |
SpaceX, the Hawthorne-based company that successfully sent a capsule to the International Space Station in May, is ready for its next mission.
NASA announced this week that it has selected Space Exploration Technologies for the $82-million launch of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Jason-3 spacecraft.
Jason-3 will observe sea level heights and ocean circulation. It's also expected to find data that will address global climate change.
The mission is a collaboration from NOAA, NASA, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales and European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory is providing a radiometer, GPS system and satellite laser ranging reflector for the mission. The expected launch date is December 2014.
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-- Tiffany Kelly, Times Community News
