Tuesday, November 22, 2016

SpaceX Wins $112M Contract From NASA

NASA announced late Tuesday that it has selected Hawthorne-based Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), for a $112M mission to launch a water survey mission to space in April of 2021. According to NASA, SpaceX will provide launch services for the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, which is expected to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, north of Lompoc. NASA said the SWOT will collect detailed masurements of how water bodies on Earth change over time, including monitoring lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and oceans, at least twice ever 21 days. The company said the data from the satellite will aid in freshwater management around the world, to improve ocean circulation models and weather and climate predictions.