Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2

Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2
(OCO-2)
Artist depiction of OCO-2
Mission typeClimatology
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID2014-035A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.40059
WebsiteJPL OCO-2 Mission
Mission duration2 years (nominal)
Elapsed: 10 years, 4 months, 25 days
Spacecraft properties
BusLEOStar-2
ManufacturerOrbital Sciences[1]
Launch mass454 kg (1,001 lb)[1]
Dry mass409 kg (902 lb)
Payload mass131 kg (289 lb)[1]
DimensionsStowed: 2.12 × 0.94 m (6.96 × 3.08 ft)[1]
Power815 W[1]
Start of mission
Launch date2 July 2014, 09:56:23 (2014-07-02UTC09:56:23) UTC
RocketDelta II 7320-10C
Launch siteVandenberg, SLC-2W
ContractorUnited Launch Alliance
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeSun-synchronous
Perigee altitude701.10 km (435.64 mi)
Apogee altitude703.81 km (437.33 mi)
Inclination98.2°
Period98.82 minutes
Mean motion14.57 rev / day
Velocity7.5 km/s (4.7 mi/s)
Epoch19 September 2016, 10:55:06 UTC[2]
Revolution no.11,796
Main telescope
TypeNear-IR Cassegrain
Focal ratioƒ/1.8 [3]
Wavelengths2.06 microns
1.61 microns
0.765 microns[1]
Instruments
3 grating spectrometers

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 (better than 0.3%) CO2 observing satellite, after GOSAT.

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 Launch" (PDF) (Press Kit). NASA. July 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  2. ^ Peat, Chris (19 September 2016). "OCO-2 Orbit". Heavens-above.com. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  3. ^ Osterman 2015, p. 7.