Back Aquarius (satelitea) Basque Aquarius (műhold) Hungarian Aquarius (SAC-D instrument) ID Aquarius (alat SAC-D) Malay Aquarius (instrument) Dutch Aquarius (instrumento SAC-D) Portuguese
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Aquarius_SAC-D_satellite.png) Artist's concept of the SAC-D satellite | |
| Operator | NASA |
|---|---|
| Instrument type | Radiometer |
| Function | Oceanography |
| Mission duration | 3 years |
| Website | Aquarius Mission |
| Host spacecraft | |
| Spacecraft | SAC-D |
| Operator | CONAE |
| Launch date | June 10, 2011 14:20 UTC |
| Rocket | Delta II |
| Launch site | Vandenberg SLC-2W |
| Orbit | LEO |
Aquarius was a NASA instrument aboard the Argentine SAC-D spacecraft.[1] Its mission was to measure global sea surface salinity to better predict future climate conditions.[2]
Aquarius was shipped to Argentina on June 1, 2009 to be mounted in the INVAP built SAC-D satellite.[3] It came back to Vandenberg Air Force Base on March 31, 2011.[4]
For the joint mission, Argentina provided the SAC-D spacecraft and additional science instruments, while NASA provided the Aquarius salinity sensor and the rocket launch platform. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, managed the Aquarius Mission development for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise based in Washington, D.C., and NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is managing the mission after launch.[5]
The observatory was successfully launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on June 10, 2011. After its launch aboard a Delta II from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, SAC-D was carried into a 657 km (408 mi) Sun-synchronous orbit to begin its 3-year mission.[2]
On June 7, 2015, the SAC-D satellite carrying Aquarius suffered a power supply failure, ending the mission.[6]
- ^ "Aquarius/SAC-D Instruments". CONAE. Archived from the original on March 26, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
- ^ a b NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (June 1, 2009). "Aquarius Mission Overview". NASA. Archived from the original on June 5, 2009. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
- ^ NASA JPL (June 1, 2009). "Salt-seeking ocean sensor to ship south". NASA. Archived from the original on June 4, 2009. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
- ^ "Aquarius Space Craft Return to US". NASA. March 31, 2011. Archived from the original on May 18, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
- ^ "Aquarius / SAC-D Satellite Mission". Earth & Space Research (ESR). Archived from the original on April 26, 2009. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
- ^ "Aquarius end of mission announcement". Gary Lagerloef and Sandra Torrusio. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2015.