A Nasa satellite designed to precisely measure changes in Earth’s ice sheets, glaciers, sea ice and vegetation has been launched into polar orbit. The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket launches with the Nasa Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) on board, Saturday, Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The mission is a successor to the original Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite that operated from 2003 to 2009. Workers prepare the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket, with the Nasa Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) on board, for launch. Photograph: Bill Ingalls/Nasa/Getty ImagesThe launch was the last for a Delta 2 rocket, United Launch Alliance said.

Source: The Irish Times September 15, 2018 17:15 UTC