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Mike Miller: Orbital Sciences-Built Satellite Begins CO2 Research Mission

Mike Miller: Orbital Sciences-Built Satellite Begins CO2 Research Mission - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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satellite airforceOrbital Sciences and NASA‘s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have commenced in-orbit testing for a satellite the company built to monitor atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide.

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 spacecraft has reached its target orbit nearly an hour after it lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base aboard a Delta II rocket Wednesday morning, Orbital said Wednesday.

NASA expects OCO-2 to start providing scientific data later this year.

“The initial check-out and testing process indicates the OCO-2 mission is proceeding smoothly,” said Mike Miller, Orbital senior vice president for science and environmental satellite programs.

“OCO-2 will help scientists understand the sources of carbon dioxide emissions and the natural process that removes it from the atmosphere,” Miller added.

According to the company, OCO-2 will join five other Earth observation satellites in the Afternoon Constellation.

The carbon-tracking satellite weighs 990 pounds, has articulated array and attitude control systems and is built to work for at least two years, Orbital said.

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Written by Mary-Louise Hoffman

is a writer of news summaries about executive-level business activity in the government contracting sector. Her reports for ExecutiveBiz are focused on trends and events that drive the GovCon industry to include commercial technologies that private companies are developing for federal government use. She contributes news content to ExecutiveBiz’s sister sites GovCon Wire and ExecutiveGov.

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