Aquarius (satellite)
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The Aquarius satellite is a planned NASA satellite mission to measure global sea surface salinity to better predict future climate conditions. It is scheduled for launch on September 5, 2009.

The science instruments will include a set of three radiometers that are sensitive to salinity (1.413 GHz; L-band) and a scatterometer that corrects for the ocean's surface roughness. The spacecraft will be contributed by Argentina's Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE).

After its planned launch in 2009 aboard a Delta II from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California, Aquarius will be carried into a 657 km (408 mi) sun-synchronous orbit to begin its 3-year mission.

External links

• NASA webpage
• Goddard Space Flight Center webpage
• Aquarius Mission Profile by NASA's Solar System Exploration

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