Sea-level tracking satellite launched

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2008

WASHINGTON (AFP) — A French-US satellite, which will provide the most accurate monitoring ever of rising sea levels and track the effects of climate change, was launched into orbit Friday from California.

A Delta 2 rocket carrying the Jason 2 satellite took off from Vandenberg Air Force base at 0746 GMT.

"All indications are that Jason 2 is operating," said NASA launch manager Omar Baez.

The rocket sent an explosive arc of light into the night sky, some 160 miles (256 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles, as it launched the satellite on a three-year journey to track virtually the entire oceanic surface of Earth and extend the record of sea-level study from space to two decades.

The 1,124-pound (510-kilogram) space lab is designed to provide precise...