NASA to launch Jason-3 ocean surface-measuring satellite on SpaceX rocket

NASA is preparing for the upcoming launch of the Jason-3 satellite from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The spacecraft is being installed into the payload fairing at the end of this week and will be attached to the launch rocket’s second stage in the coming week. The satellite will be propelled into orbit on January 17 from the West Coast launch pad. The launch rocket itself is an early-model Falcon 9, produced by Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, better known as SpaceX. More

(Source: Yahoo - Jan 5)