Jason-3


Static Fire Test Sets Stage for Next Falcon 9 Launch and Landing Attempt
SpaceX performed a successful static fire test of its Falcon 9 rocket late Jan. 11, clearing the way for the launch of an ocean science satellite, and another first stage landing attempt, this weekend.

Thales Alenia Space Awarded CNES Contract for Ocean Altimetry Instrument
The company will build the next-generation radar altimeter for the billion-dollar U.S.-French Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission to launch in 2020.

Unnecessary Timeout Pushes Jason-3 Launch to July or August
The Jason-3 satellite will be shipped to Vandenberg June 18, in time for a late-July/early-August launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 following a nine-day delay that turned out to have been unnecessary.

Spacecraft Contamination Postpones SpaceX Launch of Jason-3 Ocean Satellite
SpaceX’s July 22 launch of the U.S. French Jason-3 ocean altimetry satellite has been postponed because of an issue with the spacecraft, the company’s customer, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said June 2.