A SpaceX rocket blasted off early on Friday carrying a U.S.-French satellite designed to conduct the first global survey of Earth's surface waters, a mission expected to shed new light on the mechanics and consequences of climate change.
The Falcon 9 booster owned and operated by Elon Musk's commercial rocket company lit up the predawn sky along California's coast as it roared off its launch pad at the Vandenberg U.S. Space Force Base, about 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles.The Falcon 9's upper stage, carrying the satellite, reached orbit within nine minutes.
The data, compiled from radar sweeps at least twice every 21 days, will be used to enhance ocean-circulation models, bolster weather andand aid in managing freshwater supplies in drought-stricken regions, researchers say. Oceans have absorbed more than 90% of the excess heat trapped in Earth's atmosphere by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, scientists estimate.
SWOT's ability to discern far smaller surface features over much wider areas than previous satellites also will help study the impacts of rising ocean levels on coastal areas.
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