Happy 2,000,000,000,000th, ICESat-2! NASA’s Earth-observing laser in orbit passed a milestone on March 9 at 12:51 p.m. EDT — 16:51:00.268 UTC, to be precise — as its laser instrument fired for the 2 trillionth time and measured clouds off the coast of East Antarctica. ICESat-2’s instrument, the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), uses rapid …
NASA’s ICESat-2 satellite returned to science mode on June 21 UTC, after solar storms in May caused its height-measuring instrument to go into a safe hold. The ICESat-2 team restarted the mission’s instrument, a lidar called the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), which is once again collecting precise data on the height of Earth’s …
After going into a safe hold on May 10 due to impacts from the strongest solar storm to hit Earth in two decades, the lidar instrument on NASA’s ICESat-2 satellite is scheduled to resume collecting data around June 17. The storm did not cause any detectable damage to the satellite or its instrument. Between …
NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) is embarking on a three-year mission to measure the ice of Earth's frozen and icy areas after a successful liftoff today at 6:02 a.m. PDT (9:02 a.m. EDT) from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The spacecraft was delivered to Earth orbit by …
NASA's ICESat-2 spacecraft deployed its four solar panels and is drawing power, indicating it is healthy upon its arrival in orbit. The spacecraft launched on the final flight of the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket, lifting off from Space Launch Complex-2 at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base at 6:02 a.m. PDT (9:02 a.m. EDT). …
P-PODs 2 and 3, with their ELFIN B, DAVE and SurfSat CubeSat payloads have been successfully deployed.
The first of three P-PODs (Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployers) has deployed its payload, the ELFIN A CubeSat. P-PODs 2 and 3 are coming up!
The Delta II rocket's second stage has completed its third burn, a brief pulse lasting just a few seconds. The next major milestones will be the deployments of the ELaNa XVIII CubeSats, which are housed inside deployers mounted on the second stage.
NASA's ICESat-2 spacecraft has separated from the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket's second stage following a successful climb to space that began with liftoff at 6:02 a.m. PDT (9:02 a.m. EDT) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
The second stage engine has shut down following its second burn. Separation of the ICESat-2 spacecraft is coming up.
