Delta II ICESat-2 Liftoff

The final United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, on Sept. 15, 2018, carrying NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2). Liftoff was at 9:02 a.m. EDT (6:02 a.m. PDT). The satellite will measure the height of our changing Earth, one laser pulse at a time, 10,000 laser pulses per second. ICESat-2 will provide scientists with height measurements that create a global portrait of Earth's third dimension, gathering date that can precisely track changes of terrain, including glaciers, sea ice and forests.

The final United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, on Sept. 15, 2018, carrying NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2). Liftoff was at 9:02 a.m. EDT (6:02 a.m. PDT). The satellite will measure the height of our changing Earth, one laser pulse at a time, 10,000 laser pulses per second. ICESat-2 will provide scientists with height measurements that create a global portrait of Earth's third dimension, gathering date that can precisely track changes of terrain, including glaciers, sea ice and forests.

Photographer NASA/Kim Shiflett
Location SLC-2, VAFB
ICESat-2IceCloud and land Elevation Satellite-2NASAGSFCGoddard Space Flight CenterLSPLaunch Services ProgramULAUnited Launch AllianceDelta IISLC-2WVAFBVandenberg Air Force BaseATLASAdvanced Topographic Laser Altimeter SystemFibertekInc Orbital ATKLEOStar-3AstrotechAstrotech Space Operations