The Backside of the Moon

We now have another perspective of our home planet, and this time it includes the backside of the moon, which we never get to view here on Earth.  Our planet is certainly a bright, shiny object compared to its moon.  The new view comes from the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) placed between the Earth and sun to provide warning about incoming solar storms, thereby giving government agencies and the private sector time to prepare. 

DSCOVR was launched last February on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.  Now located 1 million miles from Earth at a point where the Earth and Sun's gravity cancel one another out (called L1), it operates as a partnership between National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NASA, and the U.S. Air Force. 

Go here for more information on the DSCOVR mission and you can also learn more about the mission via this video.

Image Credits:  NOAA

SpaceX: If at First You Don't Succeed...

SpaceX is trying a Falcon 9 soft landing on a sea-based platform later today - the second try after a failed effort last month.  The space company will be launching the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida at 6:10 p.m. EST.  It is nice to see SpaceX has such determination, and reusable rockets will be a great improvement for the space industry. 

Here is the information from the SpaceX presskit on the mission:

This mission will launch the Deep Space Climate Observatory  (DSCOVR), a satellite in partnership with NOAA, NASA, and the  USAF that will observe and provide advanced warning of extreme  emissions from the sun which can affect power grids, communications  systems, and satellites close to Earth. At launch, DSCOVR will weigh approximately 570 kg and is equipped with two deployable solar  arrays, a propulsion module, boom, and high-gain antenna.

Ultimately, DSCOVR will be positioned at the Sun - Earth L1  Lagrangian point, 1,500,000 kilometers (930,000 mi) from Earth, more than four times farther than the Moon. SpaceX will deliver DSCOVR to a parking orbit just under 200km, and the satellite will reach its final orbit 110 days after launch.

Update:  The Sunday launch was delayed due to a ground-based radar issue. The mission will be attempted again on Monday.

Second Update: SpaceX successfully launched the DSCOVR satellite on Wednesday (Feb. 11). However, the Falcon 9 did not land on the platform. SpaceX stated:

While extreme weather prevented SpaceX from attempting to recover the first stage, data shows the first stage successfully soft landed in the Atlantic Ocean within 10 meters of its target.  The vehicle was nicely vertical and the data captured during this test suggests a high probability of being able to land the stage on the drone ship in better weather.