Orbiting Carbon Observatory - Mission Description

Mission Description

OCO's measurements would have been accurate enough to show for the first time the geographic distribution of carbon dioxide sources and sinks on a regional scale. The data would have improved the understanding of the global carbon cycle, the natural processes and human activities that influence the abundance and distribution of the greenhouse gas. This improved understanding was expected to enable more reliable forecasts of future changes in the abundance and distribution of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the effect that these changes may have on Earth's climate.

The OCO spacecraft was provided by Orbital Sciences Corporation. It was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on a dedicated Taurus XL rocket. However, the payload fairing — a clam shell-shaped covering that protects the satellite during launch — apparently failed to separate from the spacecraft. "We have not had a successful launch tonight and will not be able to have a successful OCO mission," NASA commentator George Diller said.

During its two-year mission, OCO would have flown in a near polar orbit which would have enabled the instrument to observe most of Earth's surface at least once every sixteen days. It would have flown in loose formation with a series of other Earth-orbiting satellites known as the Earth Observing System Afternoon Constellation, or the A-train. This coordinated flight formation was intended to enable researchers to correlate OCO data with data acquired by other instruments on other spacecraft. In particular, Earth scientists could have compared OCO data with nearly simultaneous measurements acquired by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite and ground-based data from the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON).

The cost of the mission was US$280 million. It was sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages OCO for NASA's Science Mission Directorate.