NASA set to launch first global water survey satellite

The rocket's payload incorporates advanced microwave radar technology to collect high-definition measurements of water bodies.

A SpaceX rocket was due for launch from California early on Friday carrying a U.S.-French satellite designed to conduct the first global survey of Earth's surface waters, shedding new light on the mechanics and consequences of climate change.

The Falcon 9 rocket, owned and operated by billionaire Elon Musk's commercial launch company under NASA contract, was set for blastoff at 3:46 a.m. PST (1146 GMT) from Vandenberg U.S. Space Force Base, about 170 miles (275 km) northwest of Los Angeles.

Weather forecasts on Thursday predicted favourable conditions for liftoff, which a NASA launch services team is managing. The countdown was postponed from Thursday for 24 hours after inspectors detected moisture in two of the rocket's nine main engines, but the issue was resolved following further analysis, NASA said.

The rocket's payload, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite, or SWOT, incorporates advanced microwave radar technology to collect high-definition measurements of oceans, lakes, reservoirs and rivers over 90% of the globe.

The data, compiled from radar sweeps of the planet at least twice every 21 days, will be used to enhance ocean-circulation models, bolster weather and climate forecasts and aid in managing scarce freshwater supplies in drought-stricken regions, researchers say.

Also Read | PSLV-C54 successfully places earth observation satellite, 8 nanosatellites in orbit

Components of the SUV-sized satellite were built primarily by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) near Los Angeles and the French space agency CNES.