Orbiting Carbon Observatory facts for kids
Artist rendition of the OCO satellite as it would look in orbit
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| Mission type | Climatology |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| Mission duration | Launch failure Planned: 2 years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | LEOStar-2 |
| Manufacturer | Orbital Sciences |
| Launch mass | 530 kg (1,170 lb) |
| Payload mass | 150 kg (330 lb) |
| Dimensions | Stowed: 2.3 × 1.4 m (7.5 × 4.6 ft) |
| Power | 786 W |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 24 February 2009, 09:55:31 UTC |
| Rocket | Taurus-XL 3110 |
| Launch site | Vandenberg LC-576E |
| Contractor | Orbital |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous |
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The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) was a NASA satellite mission that was supposed to provide world-wide observations of atmospheric carbon dioxide from space. (CO2). It was lost in a launch failure on February 24, 2009, when the box of the Taurus rocket which was carrying it failed to come off during launch. The added weight of the box it was in prevented the satellite from reaching its intended speed and height. After that it fell back into the atmosphere and crashed into the Indian Ocean near Antarctica.
Images for kids
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The A-Train satellite constellation.
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The launch of OCO's Taurus XL rocket.
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Flight plan of OCO-2
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Orbiting Carbon Observatory Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.