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Orbiting Carbon Observatory An artist's concept of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory flying over Earth. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech › Larger view |
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, was designed to make space-based observations of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere to better understand the characteristics of climate change. However, the mission failed soon after launch when the launch vehicle's fairing did not separate from the spacecraft.
A replacement spacecraft, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2, is currently under development.
- Spectrometer system
| Acronym: | OCO |
| Type: | Orbiter |
| Status: | Past |
| Launch Date: | February 24, 2009 1:55 a.m. PST (09:50 UTC) |
| Launch Location: | Vandenberg Air Force Base, California |
| Mission End Date: | February 24, 2009 |
| Target: | Earth |
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NASA Selects Launch Contractor for Three Missions |
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Shining Starlight on the Dark Cocoons of Star Birth |
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NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for OCO-2 Mission |
