UPDATED - DSCOVR Launch Delay: No Earlier than January 29, 2015
published: Friday, January 02, 2015 15:35 UTC
The US Air Force (USAF), acting in its capacity as the launch services provider with SpaceX, and with concurrence from NOAA and NASA, has announced a delay in the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) mission. DSCOVR is now expected to launch no earlier than January 29, 2015. NOAA continues to monitor any risk to the schedule in close coordination with its partners and will provide updates as they are available.
DSCOVR will succeed NASA's Advanced Composition Explore's (ACE) role in supporting solar wind alerts and warnings from the L1 orbit, the neutral gravity point between the Earth and Sun approximately one million miles from Earth. This spacecraft will provide the critical data necessary for NOAA space weather forecasters to issue timely and accurate warnings of solar storms that have the potential to disrupt major public infrastructure systems such as power grids, telecommunications, aviation and GPS. For more information on this mission and the audio file from the NOAA DSCOVR press conference, please visit: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/advisories/121114-advisory-dscovr.html
