Delta II to Launch JPSS-1

The penultimate Delta II rocket stands ready for an early morning liftoff from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base on Saturday, November 18 with the first operational satellite of the Joint Polar Satellite System, the next-generation of low-orbiting weather satellites operated by NASA and NOAA.

Delta II, once the most-flown U.S. launch vehicle, is approaching the end of a career of nearly three decades with its final mission targeted for 2018 - sailing toward the sunset with a pair of Earth observation missions. JPSS-1 is hoped to become the 99th consecutive success for Delta II.  JPSS-1, built by Ball Aerospace, is a close copy of the Suomi NPP satellite and is becoming the centerpiece of America's polar-orbiting weather satellite system - capturing vital data for operational meteorology as well as climate science. Hosting five instruments, the satellite captures multi-band imagery in visible and infrared, multi-channel microwave soundings of atmospheric profiles, high-resolution infrared spectra, ozone maps and vital data on Earth's energy budget.