VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --In Space Systems International's Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians have suspended a platform over the Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft to allow access for the installation of the second solar array. Following final tests, the spacecraft will be integrated to a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket in preparation for the targeted June launch. Aquarius, the NASA-built primary instrument on the SAC-D spacecraft, will provide new insights into how variations in ocean surface salinity relate to fundamental climate processes on its three-year mission. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB
Location Vandenberg AFB, CA
Date April 28, 2011