Vandenberg successfully launches Delta II

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., - Team Vandenberg successfully launches a Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex-2 at 12:46 a.m. Friday. The rocket carried the OSTM/Jason-2 Satellite into an 830-mile near-circular orbit. The primary role of the spacecraft will be to measure and gather information about ocean topography. ( U.S Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. LukeThelen)

Vandenberg successfully launches Delta II

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Team Vandenberg successfully launches a Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex-2 at 12:46 a.m. Friday. The rocket carried the OSTM/Jason-2 Satellite into an 830-mile near-circular orbit. The primary role of the spacecraft will be to measure and gather information about ocean topography. ( U.S Air Force photo/Airman First Class Andrew Lee )

Vandenberg launches Delta II carrying Italian weather sattelite

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A Delta II rocket carrying the Thales Alenia-Space COSMO-SkyMed Satellite launched from Vandenberg on Dec. 8 at 6:31 p.m. The rocket, second of two COSMO-SkyMed launches scheduled from Vandenberg, took off from Space Launch Complex-2. The Delta II is an expendable launch, medium-lift vehicle. It carries civil and commercial payloads into low-earth, polar, geosynchronous transfer and stationary orbits. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Brian Webb

Vandenberg launches Delta II carrying Italian weather sattelite

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A Delta II rocket carrying the Thales Alenia-Space COSMO-SkyMed Satellite launched from Vandenberg on Dec. 8 at 6:31 p.m. The rocket, second of two COSMO-SkyMed launches scheduled from Vandenberg, took off from Space Launch Complex-2. The Delta II is an expendable launch, medium-lift vehicle. It carries civil and commercial payloads into low-earth, polar, geosynchronous transfer and stationary orbits. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Robert Hargreaves

Team V launches heritage Delta II rocket, image satellite

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A Delta II bearing the WorldView-1 spacecraft launches from Space Launch Complex-2 West at 11:35 a.m. on Sept. 18. The DigitalGloble WorldView-1 spacecraft is a weather mapping satellite launched on the Air Force's 60th anniversary. (U.S. Air Force photo/Joe Davila)

Team V launches heritage Delta II rocket, image satellite

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A Delta II bearing the WorldView-1 spacecraft launches from Space Launch Complex-2 West at 11:35 a.m. on Sept. 18. The DigitalGloble WorldView-1 spacecraft is a weather mapping satellite launched on the Air Force's 60th anniversary. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Rich Cassady)

Delta II carrying World-View 1 satellite to prepare for lift off

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A Delta II rocket carrying the WorldView-1 satellite rolls back from Space Launch Complex-2 on Sept. 17 to prepare for launch on Sept. 18. The WorldView-1 satellite will provide commercial, high-resolution images of Earth for DigitalGlobe, which specializes in global commercial Earth imagery and geospatial information. (Courtesy photo)

Vandenberg launches D-II, COSMO-SkyMed satellite

A Delta II rocket carrying the Thales Alenia-Space COSMO-SkyMed Satellite flies from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., at 7:34 p.m. Thursday. The rocket, first of two COSMO-SkyMed launches scheduled from Vandenberg, took off from Space Launch Complex-2. The Delta II is an expendable launch, medium-lift vehicle. It carries civil and commercial payloads into low-earth, polar, geosynchronous transfer and stationary orbits. (U.S. Air Force photo/Matthew Plew)

Vandenberg launches D-II, COSMO-SkyMed satellite

A Delta II rocket carrying the Thales Alenia-Space COSMO-SkyMed Satellite launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., at 7:34 p.m. Thursday. The rocket, first of two COSMO-SkyMed launches scheduled from Vandenberg, took off from Space Launch Complex-2. The Delta II carried an Italian payload as over 200 Italian VIP’s at Vandenberg witnessed the launch. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Richard Cassady)

Vandenberg launches D-II, COSMO-SkyMed satellite

A Delta II rocket carrying the Thales Alenia-Space COSMO-SkyMed Satellite launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., at 7:34 p.m. Thursday. The rocket, first of two COSMO-SkyMed launches scheduled from Vandenberg, took off from Space Launch Complex-2. The Delta II is an expendable launch, medium-lift vehicle. It carries civil and commercial payloads into low-earth, polar, geosynchronous transfer and stationary orbits. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Joe Davila)

Delta II

A Delta II rocket carrying a National Reconnaissance Office satellite successfully launches from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex-2 Dec. 14. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Richard Freeland)

Delta II

A Delta II rocket carrying a National Reconnaissance Office satellite successfully launches from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex-2 Dec. 14. (U.S. Air Force photo by Joe Davila)

Delta II rocket

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Air Force successfully launched a Boeing Delta II rocket carrying the Jason 1 and Timed satellites from Space Launch Complex-2 on Dec. 7. This was the second Delta II launched from Vandenberg this year. Jason 1 is a joint U.S./French oceanography mission. Jason 1 will monitor world ocean circulation, study interactions of the oceans and atmosphere, improve climate predictions and observe events such as El Nino. The NASA timed spacecraft will conduct the first global study of the Earth's mesosphere, lower thermosphere and ionosphere. The project is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., for NASA and the French space agency. (U.S. Air Force photo)