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    ICESat-2 to Measure the Height of Earth’s Frozen and Icy Areas

    Countdown clocks are holding at the T-15 minute mark. This is a built-in hold. During the three-year ICESat-2 mission, the spacecraft will use its only instrument, the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), to measure the elevation of Earth's surface. Its focus is on Earth's frozen and icy areas, or cryosphere. By timing how long …

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    ICESat-2 Awaiting Liftoff from California Coast

    A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket carrying NASA's ICESat-2 spacecraft stands poised for launch.

    Launch day has arrived for NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2. The spacecraft is safely sealed inside the payload fairing atop the United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket awaiting liftoff this morning from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Today's launch will be the last for the Delta …

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    ICESat-2 Weather Remains Favorable for Launch

    Weather remains favorable for the Sept. 15 launch of NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. The latest forecast from the U.S. Air Force 30th Space Wing predicts a 100 percent chance of favorable weather on launch day with patchy …

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    ICON Launch Delayed; New Launch Date to Come

    ICON spacecraft artist rendering

    NASA and Northrop Grumman have decided to delay the launch of the agency's Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, to allow time to address a quality issue with a vendor-supplied electrical connector on the launch vehicle. Northrop Grumman does not expect an extended delay and will work with the range to determine a new launch date. …

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    Tower Rollback Friday, Live Launch Coverage Saturday

    ICESat-2 mission logo

    NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, a mission to measure the changing height of Earth's ice, is scheduled to launch Saturday, Sept. 15, with a 40-minute window opening at 5:46 a.m. PDT (8:46 a.m. EDT). The spacecraft will lift off from Space Launch Complex 2 (SLC-2) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in …

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    ICESat-2 Proceeds Toward Launch Sept. 15

    ICESat-2 mission logo

    NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, mission and launch teams today concluded a successful Launch Readiness Review. There are no technical issues being worked at this time. Teams are proceeding toward liftoff from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base on Saturday, Sept. 15, at 5:46 a.m. PDT (8:46 a.m. EDT) on a United …

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    ICESat-2 Prelaunch Mission Briefing Today

    Artist's image of NASA's ICESat-2 spacecraft above Earth.

    NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, is being prepared for liftoff Saturday aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The launch window opens at 8:46 a.m. EDT (5:46 a.m. PDT). NASA will host a prelaunch mission briefing today at 4 …

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    About the ICESat-2 Launch Window

    Artist's image of NASA's ICESat-2 spacecraft above Earth.

    NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, is scheduled to launch Saturday, Sept. 15, at 5:46 a.m. PDT (8:46 a.m. EDT). There is a 40-minute launch opportunity within the spacecraft launch window, which extends for 2 hours, 34 minutes. The 40-minute window is determined by super-cold liquid oxygen temperature (cryogenic propellant) effects on the …

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    Launch Week Arrives for ICESat-2

    Artist's image of NASA's ICESat-2 spacecraft above Earth.

    NASA and United Launch Alliance launch and mission partners are gathered at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for the final week of final prelaunch activities for the agency's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2. The three-year mission is scheduled to launch at 8:46 a.m. EDT (5:46 a.m. PDT) on Saturday, Sept. 15, …

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