Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2
Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) is an American environmental science satellite which launched on 2 July 2014. A NASA mission, it is a replacement for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory which was lost in a launch failure in 2009. It is the second successful high-precision CO2 observing satellite, after GOSAT.
Artist depiction of OCO-2
Image: Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 Logo
The launch of OCO-2 on a Delta II rocket.
Orbiting Carbon Observatory
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) is a NASA satellite mission intended to provide global space-based observations of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The original spacecraft was lost in a launch failure on 24 February 2009, when the payload fairing of the Taurus rocket which was carrying it failed to separate during ascent. The added mass of the fairing prevented the satellite from reaching orbit. It subsequently re-entered the atmosphere and crashed into the Indian Ocean near Antarctica. The replacement satellite, Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, was launched 2 July 2014 aboard a Delta II rocket. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3, a stand-alone payload built from the spare OCO-2 flight instrument, was installed on the International Space Station's KibÅ Exposed Facility in May 2019.
An artist rendition of the OCO satellite as it would look in orbit.
Image: Orbiting Carbon Observatory Logo
Orbiting Carbon Observatory 1.jpg
The launch of OCO's Taurus XL rocket.