SORCE is a NASA Earth Science mission that will examine the roll of the Sun's energy in climate change, information vital for our understanding and protection of our home planet. The satellite will provide state-of-the-art measurements of incoming X-ray, ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared, and total solar radiation.
The measurements provided by SORCE address long-term climate change, climate prediction, atmospheric ozone and ultraviolet-B radiation. These measurements are critical to studies of the Sun, its effect on our Earth system and influence on humankind.
The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado is responsible for the overall program management of SORCE. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center provides the management, oversight, and engineering support for the spacecraft. LASP built, calibrated, and tested the SORCE instruments and subcontracted to Orbital Sciences Corporation for the spacecraft bus and integration of the five instruments. The Kennedy Space Center is responsible for spacecraft/launch vehicle integration, countdown management, launch vehicle engineering oversight and mission assurance.
NASA's Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) successfully launched today aboard a Pegasus XL rocket over the Atlantic Ocean. Dropped from the wing of a L-1011 carrier aircraft at 3:14 p.m. EST, separation of the spacecraft from the rocket occurred 10 minutes and 46 seconds after launch at about 3:24 p.m. Initial contact with the satellite was made seven seconds after separation via a NASA communications satellite network.
"Today's successful launch adds to our constellation of Earth-viewing satellites that help us to understand and protect our home planet," said Dr. Ghassem Asrar, NASA's Associate Administrator for Earth Sciences, Washington.
"We are all tremendously excited by what we will learn about the solar climate connection from SORCE," said Bill Ochs, SORCE Project Manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "We're very proud of the mission team led by the University of Colorado and supported by Orbital Sciences Corporation. This mission is a great example of how NASA, universities, and industry can partner together to create successful science missions."
Over the next few days, the mission team will insure that the spacecraft is functioning properly. The SORCE science instruments will then be turned on and their health verified. Approximately 21 days after launch, if all is going well, the instruments will start initial science data collection and calibration will begin. The spacecraft will study the Sun's influence on our Earth and will measure from space how the Sun affects the Earth's ozone layer, atmospheric circulation, clouds, and oceans.
Thanks to NASA for the above
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