A SpaceX rocket was due for launch from California carrying a U.S.-French satellite designed to conduct the first global survey of Earth's surface waters, shedding new light on the mechanics and consequences of climate change
The Falcon 9 rocket, owned and operated by billionaire Elon Musk's commercial launch company under NASA contract, was set for blastoff at 3:46 a.m. PST from Vandenberg U.S. Space Force Base, about 170 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
The data, compiled from radar sweeps of the planet at least twice every 21 days, will be used to enhance ocean-circulation models, bolster weather andand aid in managing scarce freshwater supplies in drought-stricken regions, researchers say. Oceans are estimated to have absorbed more than 90% of the excess heat trapped in Earth's atmosphere by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
SWOT's ability to discern smaller surface features also will help study the impacts of rising ocean levels on coastal areas.
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