VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. - NASA's CALIPSO/CloudSat spacecraft are lifted at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in preparation for integration with the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle. Launch of the dual spacecraft is scheduled for April 21. CALIPSO stands for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation. It will fly in combination with the CloudSat satellite to provide never-before-seen 3-D perspectives of how clouds and aerosols form, evolve, and affect weather and climate. CALIPSO and CloudSat will join three other satellites in orbit to enhance understanding of climate systems.
Location Vandenberg AFB, CA
Date April 8, 2006