Delta II ICESat-2 Rollback

The gantry rolls back at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, on Sept. 14, 2018, for the final United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket which will carry NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2). Liftoff is scheduled for Sept. 15, 2018, at 8:46 a.m. EDT (5:46 a.m. PDT). The satellite will measure the height of our changing Earth, one laser pulse at a time, 10,000 laser pulses per second. ICESat-2 will provide scientists with height measurements that create a global portrait of Earth's third dimension, gathering date that can precisely track changes of terrain, including glaciers, sea ice and forests.