OrbitalHub

Credits: NASA

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 mission is scheduled to launch in February 2013.

The previous spacecraft failed to reach orbit on February 24, 2009, after being launched on top of a Taurus XL launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The OCO spacecraft will make global CO₂ measurements from space, quite useful as scientists are trying to understand the global carbon cycle in order to be able to make predictions of future atmospheric CO₂ increases.

NASA awarded the launch services contract to Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Virginia. OCO-2 will be launched by a Taurus XL 3110 launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

We quote from the NASA press release:

“OCO-2 is a NASA’s first mission dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in the Earth’s climate. OCO-2 will provide the first complete picture of human and natural carbon dioxide sources and sinks, the places where the gas is pulled out of the atmosphere and stored.”

You can find more information about the Orbiting Carbon Observatory on NASA’s website.