Gallery: Images

Launch of Aquarius/SAC-D satellite
Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls.
Launch of Aquarius/SAC-D Satellite
[10-Jun-2011] The United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket carrying the Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft launched from NASA's Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base on June 10, 2011, beginning a three-year mission to study our planet's salty seas. Liftoff was on time at 7:20 a.m. PDT (10:20 a.m. EDT) and capped a very smooth countdown with no technical or weather problems. The Aquarius/SAC-D mission is a collaboration between NASA and Argentina's space agency with participation by Brazil, Canada, France and Italy. NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida is managing the launch. United Launch Alliance of Denver, Colo., is NASA's launch service provider of the Delta II 7320.

View: Click on the image to enlarge. Click on the Escape key or anywhere outside the shadowbox to close.

Download: To download a copy, right click on the image and select Save Image As (on a Mac keyboard, click the touchpad while holding down the Control key). To download the highest resolution in our database, first click on the image to enlarge and then save that version.