Satellite Pictures

            NOAA19 Weather satellite Launch Update

First Picture Recorded from NOAA 19 over Redditch

Sunday 8th Feb 2009

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2009
1245 GMT (7:45 a.m. EST; 4:45 a.m. PST)

A last-of-its-kind weather observatory with roots reaching back to the earliest days of U.S. space exploration rocketed into orbit this morning to keep logging environmental records until a long-delayed new generation of satellites is ready.

Read our full story.

1212 GMT (7:12 a.m. EST; 4:12 a.m. PST)

"Today's launch showcased some of the everyday, modern conveniences provided by our spacelift capabilities," said Col. David Buck, 30th Space Wing commander at Vandenberg Air Force. "Whether it is through improved weather forecasting or high resolution Earth imagery, our launch range is helping provide ordinary citizens across the globe with services which people often take for granted."

1203 GMT (7:03 a.m. EST; 4:03 a.m. PST)

After NOAA-N Prime successfully arrived in space, the craft was renamed NOAA-19.

"NOAA-19 is in a nominal orbit with all spacecraft systems functioning properly," said Wayne McIntyre, NASA's Polar Operational Environmental Satellite project manager.

1150 GMT (6:50 a.m. EST; 3:50 a.m. PST)

"We are proud to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Delta 2 by successfully launching this critically important spacecraft for both NASA and NOAA and we congratulate our mission partners on their success," said Jim Sponnick, United Launch Alliance's vice president of the Delta Product Line. "Now with 138 successful launches, the Delta 2 is the proven worldwide leader of the medium class market."

The venerable rocket debuted on February 14, 1989, deploying a Global Positioning System satellite. Over the past two decades, the rocket has launched the entire GPS constellation, performed over three dozen commercial missions and dispatched numerous scientific spacecraft and probes.

"Everyone associated with the Delta 2 product line can take pride in its impressive success record and the contributions they made to scientific exploration, national defense and economic prosperity since 1989," Sponnick said. "Our Delta 2 team realizes they didn't do this alone and only succeeded due to the tremendous support from our government mission partners, suppliers and commercial customers."

1137 GMT (6:37 a.m. EST; 3:37 a.m. PST)

T+plus 75 minutes. The NOAA-N Prime satellite's 20-foot-long, 9-foot-wide solar array is unfurling at this time, NASA reports. This 10-panel array was folded up during launch, then extends accordion-style in orbit to generate power for the spacecraft.

Also upcoming in the next few minutes, three antennas and an instrument sunshade will be deployed. The antennas are used to receive data from ground weather transmitters, send the satellite's imagery to receivers on Earth and hear search and rescue beacons.

Will keep you informed when more information and pictures are is available

Information courtesy of Spaceflightnow.com