Video: Preparing Delta 2 and SMAP for flight

“We had a terrific ride into space aboard the United Launch Alliance’s Delta 2 vehicle. They deposited us exactly where we wanted to be with with accuracy and precision,” said Kent Kellogg, NASA’s SMAP project manager.

Deploying its marquee element in space Tuesday, NASA’s new Soil Moisture Active Passive spacecraft took a major step towards realizing its science potential.

This narrated video clip shows NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory being readied for launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.