Posted: Sat, Jun 21, 2008, 1:09 AM ET (0509 GMT)
A Delta 2 rocket placed a US-French Earth sciences satellite into orbit early Friday. The Delta 2 7320-10 lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 3:46 am EDT (0746 GMT) and placed the Jason-2 satellite in a Sun-synchronous low Earth orbit 55 minutes later. The spacecraft, also known as the Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM), is a joint mission between NASA and the French space agency CNES to measure sea level conditions around the world. The mission is a continuation of Jason-1, launched in 2001, and TOPEX/Poseidon, launched in 1992; Jason-1 and Jason-2 will operate in tandem.

Related Links:

•  AFP article
•  Space News article (subscription required)
•  NASA SpaceFlight.com article
•  AP article
•  NASA press release