International spacecraft carrying NASA's Aquarius instrument ends operations
Wednesday, June 17, 2015 - 18:40
in Astronomy & Space
An international Earth-observing mission launched in 2011 to study the salinity of the ocean surface ended June 8 when an essential part of the power and attitude control system for the SAC-D spacecraft, which carries NASA's Aquarius instrument, stopped operating. The Aquarius instrument successfully achieved its science objectives and completed its primary three-year mission in November 2014.