A United Launch Alliance Delta II stands tall for the launch of NASA's Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project satellite.

A United Launch Alliance Delta II stands tall on Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for the launch of NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite. Next up for the rocket configuration is the lifting to Level 5 of the payload fairing that will protect NPP as it launches. NPP will be positioned 512 miles above the Earth's surface and will orbit about 16 times each day to observe nearly the entire globe. The NPP mission for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is to measure Earth's atmospheric and sea surface temperatures, humidity sounding, land and ocean biological activity, and cloud and aerosol properties. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/NPP. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB, Roy Allison