Orbiting Carbon Observatory

Orbiting Carbon Observatory
	Artist rendition of the OCO satellite as it would look in orbit
Mission type	Climatology
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	{{#property:P247}}
Mission duration	Launch failure; Planned: 2 years
Spacecraft properties
Bus	LEOStar-2
Manufacturer	Orbital Sciences
Launch mass	530 kg (1,170 lb)
Payload mass	150 kg (330 lb)
Dimensions	Stowed: 2.3 × 1.4 m (7.5 × 4.6 ft)
Power	786 W
Start of mission
Launch date	24 February 2009, 09:55:31 UTC
Rocket	Taurus-XL 3110
Launch site	Vandenberg LC-576E
Contractor	Orbital
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Sun-synchronous

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) was a NASA satellite mission that was supposed to provide world-wide observations of atmospheric carbon dioxide from space. (CO₂). It was lost in a launch failure on February 24, 2009, when the box of the Taurus rocket which was carrying it failed to come off during launch.^[3] The added weight of the box it was in prevented the satellite from reaching its intended speed and height.^[4] After that it fell back into the atmosphere and crashed^[5] into the Indian Ocean near Antarctica.^[6]

Orbiting Carbon Observatory Media

The A-Train satellite constellation.
The launch of OCO's Taurus XL rocket.
This illustration highlights key events in the launch of NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, beginning with its liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base in central California.