NASA has successfully launched its Aura satellite aboard a Boeing Delta 2 rocket from Vandenberg AFB, California.
A problem with the rocket's battery system has previously stopped the countdown 3min before lift-off. Two further launch attempts were also aborted due to technical issues, first with the rocket and then with its payload. The launch finally went ahead at 10:02 UTC last Thursday.
Aura is designed to check the health of the Earth's atmosphere by looking through the stratosphere and troposphere, to study the thin layer of gas that supports all life.
NASA describes the spacecraft as one of the most sophisticated environmental monitoring satellites ever built. The 3t spacecraft will help scientists understand how the atmosphere affects and responds to Earth's changing climate.
Source: Flight Daily News