NASA's Aquarius mission is less than a week away from its June 9 launch date. Liftoff preparations continue on schedule at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The second-stage oxidizer will be loaded today and fuel loading will follow on Monday. Although its batteries will soon be charged, no other work is scheduled for the spacecraft, which will lift off aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. The launch window extends from 7:20:13 a.m. to 7:25:13 a.m. PDT (10:20:13 a.m. to 10:25:13 a.m. EDT).
While the weather this weekend will be rainy and windy, it will not affect operations at Space Launch Complex-2. Forecasters predict favorable conditions for Thursday's scheduled launch.
The Aquarius mission will measure ocean surface salinity to understand the links between ocean circulation, global water cycle and climate. NASA's Aquarius instrument is part of the SAC-D spacecraft provided by Argentina.