At 6:01 A.M. Pacific Time the final Delta II rocket launched from LC-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying ICESat-2 and a small compliment of CubeSats into orbit.
This mission is still underway – as I write these words we’re only 30 minutes into the mission, in a coast phase between burns of the second stage, but the launch has happened, and what an experience it was!
The final Delta II on the pad, just minutes before launch.
As the launch phase completes and the payload is delivered into orbit I will be doing the normal, full article on the launch, but for now I felt it worth covering the liftoff itslef- the beggining of and most exciting part of the launch process.
Enjoy! More to come, as always!
To Delta II and the people who made it happen, good job guys. As always!
3-2-1… and we have liftoff of @NASA_ICE’s #ICESat2 atop @ULAlaunch’s #DeltaII rocket 🚀. Tune in as we broadcast live from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California: https://t.co/MIVnfneKo2 pic.twitter.com/xLRiCVcfrK
— NASA (@NASA) September 15, 2018