Argentine satellite lifts off from California

California, June 10, 2011
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An Argentine satellite was launched today from the Vandenberg base, located in California, USA, through a Delta II rocket of 40 meters height.

While it will be on orbit at 650 kilometers above the Earth, the satellite called SAC-D / Aquarius will monitor the salinity of the ocean to collect data on climate change, thanks to some powerful sensors.

This ambitious project, now come true, was built by the National Commission on Space Activities (CONAE) and Invap, a privately held company and the state of the Rio Negro Province, in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of United States (NASA).

Argentina President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner accompanied the release from the Government House and said, “It is the effort of our universities, is the effort of CONICET, the CONAE effort and is the effort of all Argentines”.

In addition, the president made a comparison with the 2001 crisis, saying “10 years ago we threw stones, now we are launching rockets and satellites.”