launched from USA

Aqua

Success
MAY 04200209:54:00 UTC

Aqua was a major NASA Earth-observing satellite focused on the water cycle, carrying instruments to measure precipitation, evaporation, clouds, and sea-surface temperature. It became the lead spacecraft of the "A-train," a string of satellites in the same Sun-synchronous orbit making coordinated atmospheric measurements, and operated far beyond its planned life.

launched from SLC-2W Vandenberg

aboard Delta II 7920-10L D-291 into SSO

Payload

Aqua

Environmental research

last updated May 29, 2026