Scientific launches
2010Important scientific launches were achieved in this time period beginning on 2 November 2009, with the launch of a Rotok /Briz KM vehicle from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia, carrying the SMOS-2 earth observation and soil moisture satellite. A United States Delta-2 rocket launched the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission for NASA, designed to survey the cosmos in the mid-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. 11 February 2010 marked the launch of the Solar Dynamics Observatory aboard a United States’ Atlas V from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The European Cryosat-2 was launched aboard a Dnepr-1 vehicle from Baikonour on 8 April 2010, and the Japanese launched the Venus Planet Orbiter (Akatsuki) using an H-2A launch vehicle from Tanegashima Space Center on 20 May 2010.
From the Dobmarovskiy Launch Site in Yasny, Russia, a Dnepr-1 rocket lofted the climate research satellite Picard. Six days later, on 21 June, a second Dnepr-1 from Baikonur launched the DLR spacecraft TanDEM-X, a synthetic apertur radar imaging satellite. A Chinese Long March 2D rocket orbited an earth observation satellite from the Jiuquan Satellite Luanch Centre on 24 August. This satellite mission is named TianHui1.
This launch was the latest in a series of ten Chinese orbital missions using the Long March family of vehicles, from the Jiuquan Launch Centre, and the Xichang Launch Centre. These missions, their launch dates, and vehicles were: 12 November 2009 - Shijan 11-01, Long March 2C; 9 December 2009 - Yaogan 7, Long March 2D; 15 December 2009 - Yaogan 8, Hope 1, Long March 4C; 16 January 2010 - BeiDou-3, Long March 3C; 5 March 2010 - Yaogan 9, Long March 4C; 2 June 2010 - BeiDou-2, Long March 3C; 15 June 2010 - Shijian 12, Long March 2C; 31 July 2010 - BeiDou-2 IG1, Long March 3A; 9 August 2010 - Yaogan 10, Long March 4C; and 24 August 2010 - TianHui 1, Long March 2C.
News content on this website, where abstracts are taken from full articles elsewhere, are assumed public domain. All uncredited images are assumed as public domain with the exception of logos which are generally trademarks of the organisation whose materials are cited.