OCO-2

Hi there! NASA is launching the Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO - 2 for short). The satellite mission is the first of its kind to make space-based measurements of Earth’s atmospheric carbon dioxide. The burning of fossil fuels by human activities has increased levels of the greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. By studying Earth’s carbon cycle, we can better understand how to control such a build-up. It is to be launched into a Sun-synchronous, nearly polar orbit around Earth (meaning that the satellite always maintains a fixed position in the sky relative to the Sun). OCO-2 is a replacement for the original Orbiting Carbon Observatory, which was meant to be launched in 2009 but had a launch vehicle failure.