The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) is now set for launch Thursday, Nov. 10 at 4:25 a.m. EST (0925 UTC). The mission will lift off aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 401 rocket from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. JPSS-2 is a new generation polar-orbiting operational environmental satellite system. Also aboard the Atlas V 401 rocket will be the secondary payload, NASA’s Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID). LOFTID will demonstrate inflatable heat shield technology for atmospheric entry and re-entry. This technology could enable a variety of proposed NASA missions to destinations such as Mars, Venus, and Titan, as well as returning heavier payloads from low-Earth orbit.
NASA TV Broadcast of JPSS-2 Launch
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