LOMPOC, Calif., Jan. 29 (UPI) — NASA’s fleet of Earth observation satellites is expected to grow one stronger today, as the space agency prepares to launch its Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) observatory early Thursday morning in California.
The SMAP satellite is scheduled to blast off at 9:20 a.m. EST from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base. The satellite with ride into low Earth orbit atop a United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket.
The satellite is outfitted with two microwave instruments capable of measuring the globe’s soil moisture is greater detail than ever before. The instruments will hone in on moisture levels in planet’s topsoil, a factor that features prominently in influencing Earth’s water, energy and carbon cycles.
“It’s what is interacting with the terrestrial biosphere, with the vegetation. It’s what is determining how much runoff occurs … how much freshwater there is in the rivers and lakes. It’s a tiny amount, but a very important amount,” Dara Entekhabi, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and lead scientists on the mission, said during a press briefing prior to the launch.
The launch can be streamed live on NASA TV.
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