The NOAA-N Prime satellite is prepared for its lift into the mobile service tower on Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

The NOAA-N Prime satellite, enclosed in a canister for travel, is prepared for its lift into the mobile service tower on Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. In the tower, the satellite will be encapsulated and installed on the launch vehicle, a Delta II rocket. NOAA-N Prime is the latest polar-orbiting operational environmental weather satellite developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The satellite is scheduled to launch Feb. 4 aboard a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Photo credit: NASA/Mark Mackley, VAFB