Go West, Jason-2, Go West… and Launch

The Jason-2 ocean altimetry satellites has managed to complete its long journey to the United States and is currently scheduled for its launch on June 15th from Vandenberg AFB in California. First, Jason-2 was “on the road” from manufacturer Thales Alenia Space plant in Cannes, France, to Toulouse. There, it was flown by Boeing 747 to Vandenberg, with a refueling stop in Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to its journey westwards to California, a variety of tests were completed. All environmental testing was completed by the end of 2007 at the Thales Alenia Space plant in Cannes. This was followed by the spacecraft qualification review, conducted from March 11th through the 13th. Operational readiness reviews were held at EUMETSAT at the end of March and between the four partners: EUMETSAT, the French Space Agency (CNES), the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), at the start of April. The pre-ship review authorizing the beginning of transfer activities took place on April 14th. Jason-2 is the continuation of the existing successful cooperation between the United States and Europe, a global endeavour with responsibilities for satellite development and launch shared between CNES and NASA. CNES and NOAA will be responsible for satellite operations once Jason-2 has reached orbit. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is managing the mission for NASA. Data processing will be carried out by CNES, EUMETSAT and NOAA, depending on the type of product, with EUMETSAT acting as an interface for near-real-time product distribution to European users.