NASA's Aquarius SAC-D spacecraft is rotated for the final time into a vertical position prior to its installation into a transportation canister.

In Space Systems International's Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NASA's Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft is rotated for the final time into a vertical position prior to its installation into a transportation canister.

Following delivery to the launch pad, the spacecraft will be integrated to a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket in preparation for the targeted June liftoff. Aquarius, the NASA-built primary instrument on the SAC-D spacecraft, will provide new insights into how variations in ocean surface salinity relate to fundamental climate processes on its three-year mission. Photo credit: NASA/VAFB