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Chennai, <keyword id="6358064" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="isro" source="Orion">ISRO</keyword> has lined up a series of exploration missions including to Mars, Venus and to the Moon again, apart from the maiden human spaceflight programme, Chairman <keyword id="2618685" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="s-somanath" source="Orion">S Somanath</keyword> said. The space agency also has drawn up plans to launch missions for studying climate and weather conditions of the Earth, the space agency chief said, speaking to reporters on Sunday. <br /><br />Besides, ISRO is also working on regular scientific missions including communication, remote sensing satellites, Somanath, who is also the Secretary of the Department of Space, said here. <br /><br />Speaking about the Gaganyaan programme, he said the maiden TV-D1 test flight is scheduled for October 21. <br /><br />Elaborating about the upcoming missions undertaken by the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency, he said, "We have exploration missions. We have plans to go to Mars, Venus, again sometime to the Moon. We also have programmes to look at the climate and weather of Earth." <br /><br />Stressing that the scientists at ISRO would be focused on taking up regular missions like launching satellites for communications and remote sensing, he said scientific missions are also in the pipeline to look at issues like aeronomy, thermal imaging, and climate change impact assessment. <br /><br />"So many things are there and we are very busy doing all of this," he said. <br /><br />To a query about whether scientists were able to receive any kind of response from the Vikram lander of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, which successfully made a soft-landing on the surface of the Moon on August 23, he said Vikram had done its job very well during the lunar day (equivalent of 14 Earth days) at which time it was programmed to perform its functions. <br /><br />"It is happily sleeping on the Moon. It has done its job very well. Maybe if it wishes to wake up, let it wake up. Until then, we will wait," he said. ISRO made efforts to re-establish communication with rover Pragyan and lander Vikram after they were put into sleep mode in September following the onset of night on the Moon. <br /><br />"No signals have been received from them. Efforts to establish contact will continue," ISRO had said. <br /><br />After the historic landing on August 23, lander Vikram and rover Pragyan performed different tasks on the lunar surface, including detecting the presence of sulphur and recording relative temperature. <br /><br />About ISRO's maiden mission to study the Sun, Somanath said the spacecraft is 'very healthy' and is on a 110-day long journey to the Lagrange point L1 and is expected to reach the intended destination by "middle of January." <br /><br />"It is a long journey. It is almost 110 days of journey and it has covered some distance now. We corrected a little bit of its trajectory, because early correction is important to reach the L1 point. After tracking, we find it is going in the right direction towards the L1 point," he said. <br /><br />Observing that the rocket is on a 'complex travel', Somanath said, "It takes almost another 70-75 days further to reach. By the middle of January, it will reach there. After that, we will make some corrections to make it enter into the Halo orbit at the L1 point." <br /><br />"After that instruments will be switched on and it will start doing the scientific data streaming. Currently, everything is very healthy on Aditya L1," he said. <br /><br />Aditya-L1 was launched on September 2, and it is the first Indian space-based observatory that will study the Sun from a halo orbit around the first <keyword id="19149915" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sun-earth-lagrangian" source="Orion">Sun-Earth Lagrangian</keyword> point (L1), which is located roughly 1.5 million km from the Earth. <br /><br />Earlier, Somanath visited the residence of renowned agricultural scientist <keyword id="86797" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="m-s-swaminathan" source="Orion">M S Swaminathan</keyword>, who passed away on September 28. He met the family members of the eminent plant geneticist known as the driving force behind India's 'Green Revolution', here in the city. <br /><br />"I am here today just to pay my tributes and my affection to his (M S Swaminathan's) contribution... Whoever works in whichever field whether it is space, agriculture or sustainability and many other domains, we all find a place to work together," he said. <br /><br />"Thank you so much for the opportunity. His (M S Swaminathan's) legacy will continue to inspire more young people in the country to work in science and technology." Somanath said.

ISRO 'very busy' with various exploration missions in pipeline: Chairman

Bengaluru, Ahead of India's Aditya-L1 <keyword id="73822" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="solar-mission" source="Orion">solar mission</keyword>, a top scientist said the monitoring of the Sun on a 24-hour basis is a must to study <keyword id="18618306" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="solar-quakes" source="Orion">solar quakes</keyword> which can alter the geomagnetic fields of earth. The Aditya-L1 mission to study the Sun is slated to be launched at 11.50 am from the Sriharikota spaceport on Saturday. <br /><br />Explaining the need to study the Sun, Professor and In-Charge Scientist at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Dr R Ramesh told PTI that just as there are earthquakes on Earth, there are something called solar quakes - called as Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) - on the surface of the Sun. <br /><br />In this process, millions and millions of tons of solar materials are thrown into the interplanetary space, he said, adding these CMEs can travel at a speed of approximately 3,000 km per second. <br /><br />"Some of the CMEs can also be directed towards the Earth. The fastest CME can reach near Earth space in approximately 15 hours," Dr Ramesh pointed out. <br /><br />On why this mission was different from other similar ventures, he said, "Though ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA (<keyword id="107353" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="national-aeronautics-and-space-administration" source="Orion">National Aeronautics and Space Administration</keyword>) have launched similar missions in the past, the <keyword id="3586950" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="aditya-l1" source="Orion">Aditya L1</keyword> mission will be unique in two main aspects because we will be able to observe the solar corona from the place where it almost starts. Also we'll be able to observe the magnetic field changes in the solar atmosphere, which are the cause for coronal mass ejections or solar quakes." <br /><br />Sometimes, these CMEs damage satellites by "engulfing" them, he said. Due to the discharged particle flow from the CMEs, all the electronics onboard satellites can malfunction. <br /><br />These CMEs come all the way to Earth, Dr Ramesh said. <br /><br />In 1989, for instance, when there was a massive eruption of the solar atmosphere, Quebec in Canada went without power for about 72 hours; And in 2017, the Zurich airport in Switzerland was affected because of CME for almost 14 to 15 hours. <br /><br />Dr Ramesh said once the CMEs reach the Earth, which is like a big magnet with north and south poles, they can travel along the magnetic field lines and then they can alter the Earth's geomagnetic field. Once the geomagnetic field is affected, it can impact the high voltage transformers. <br /><br />"So, it is very important to put a centre of observation to continuously monitor the Sun, which is possible from the Lagrangian (L1) point," he pointed out. <br /><br />India is launching the Aditya-L1 to place its satellite at Langrangian-1 point. <br /><br />According to him, the authorities at Bengaluru-based IIA, an institution with a long tradition of almost close to 125 years of observing the Sun, felt that they should monitor the Sun on a 24 hours basis so that any changes that are taking place (on the Sun) are very well observed. <br /><br />Though observations of the Sun can be carried out with a ground-based telescope, they have two major limitations, Dr Ramesh said. <br /><br />One is that there are only eight or nine hours available in a day to monitor the sun since such observations can be carried out only during day time and not at night. <br /><br />The second challenge while monitoring the Sun from Earth is that the light coming from the Sun will be scattered by the dust particles in the atmosphere. As a result the image can get blurred, he explained. <br /><br />To avoid these shortcomings in solar observation, the IIA felt the need to have a telescope in space for 24-hour uninterrupted observations of the Sun. <br /><br />There are five vantage points from where the Sun can be monitored. These are called the Lagrangian points, which are named after an Italian astronomer Joseph-Louis Lagrange who discovered them. <br /><br /> The gravitational force of attraction between the Sun and the Earth at the Lagrange points are perfectly balanced, the scientist said. <br /><br />"Of all these five points, there is a point called L1 to have an uninterrupted view of the Sun. This point is located between the Sun and Earth at a distance of 1.5 million km from the Earth," the IIA professor explained. <br /><br />According to him, the Aditya L1 space mission will take 100-plus days to reach the Lagrangian-1 point. <br /><br />Data from this satellite will be downloaded at ISRO's Indian Deep Space Network near Byalalu on the outskirts of Bengaluru and will be transmitted by a dedicated internet link to the Payload Operations Centre of the IIA, Dr Ramesh said. <br /><br />The data will be processed and sent back to ISRO for dissemination to the general public as well as for use by the scientific community.

Aditya L1: Solar quakes can alter geomagnetic field of earth says top scientist

<p></p>
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div>
<div class="image on-image">
<p class="source"><span><a href="http://justatinker.com/Future/wallpapers/barge-landed-1920-1080.png">Jon Ross at @zlsadesign and zlsa.github.io</a></span></p>
<p class="caption">Artist's impression of SpaceX rocket landing. </p>
</img></div>
<p></p>
</div></div>This Sunday, Feb. 8, SpaceX will make a second attempt at a historic rocket landing on a floating platform in the ocean.
<p>A 22-story-tall Falcon 9 rocket will lift off out of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida a couple of minutes after sunset, at 6:10 pm ET. And within a half hour or so after take off, the rocket will return from space and attempt to guide its way, using GPS tracking, onto a droneship in the Atlantic.</p>
<p>Five years ago, a landing attempt like this was unheard of. But SpaceX is changing things up and paving the way for a new era of reusable rockets. The company, founded by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, has gone to great lengths to build the foundations for a future of cheap space travel. The key to that future is reusable rockets that can carry cargo and astronauts into space multiple times instead of only once.</p>
<p>So far, SpaceX has never recovered a rocket for reuse. But if everything goes according to plan this Sunday and the rocket lands softly, it would be a game changer.</p>
<p>And with <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/118246/spacex-could-launch-17-rockets-in-2015-including-the-most-powerful-rocket-since-saturn-v/">17 potential rocket launches</a> scheduled for 2015, there's plenty of opportunity to get it right even if this latest attempt doesn't work.&#xa0;</p>
<h2><span style="font-size: 1.5em; color: #000000;">Technology for the future</span></h2>
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<p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR/">NOAA/NASA/U.S. Air Force</a></span></p>
</img></div>
<p></p>
</div></div>The landing attempt isn't the only exciting thing about Sunday's launhc. For this launch, the rocket will also ferry an important instrument into space: the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR).&#xa0;
<p>DSCOVR, shown to the right, is the latest instrument that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will use to monitor solar winds. The sun emits gusts of high-energy particles in the form of solar wind, and when those gusts occasionally reach Earth's magnetic field it can&#xa0;disrupt power grids,&#xa0;telecommunications, aviation, and GPS here on Earth.&#xa0;</p>
<p>Having a satellite like this is "the first line of defense ...for us to be able to take the appropriate action to protect our system from any impacts that could happen," said David Velazquez, the executive vice president for Pepco Holdings Inc, in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akM4WmGJ_j8#t=100">NOAA video</a>. <strong><br /></strong></p>
<p>After the rocket detaches from DSCOVR in space, the climate observatory will begin a 110-day long journey to its final orbit while the rocket will head back toward Earth.</p>
<p>There's a special point in space, called <a href="http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wlagran.html">Lagrangian Point 1</a>, where a spacecraft can orbit so that it will always remain between Earth and the Sun.</p>
<p>"The L1 position will provide DSCOVR with a point of 'early warning' when a surge of particles and magnetic field from the sun will hit Earth," <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/noaas-dscovr-going-to-a-far-out-orbit/#.VNPlzVXF-7E">NASA said in a statement</a>. The observatory will sound the alarm for a surge of oncoming powerful particles by 30 to 45 minutes ahead of time.</p>
<p>If the launch is aborted, SpaceX has also prepared a backup launch opportunity for 6:07 pm on Monday Feb. 9.&#xa0;</p>
<p>NASA TV will be streaming the launch live starting at 3:30 pm ET on Sunday. The LiveStream is provided below.</p>
<p>&#xa0;</p>

SpaceX will attempt a potentially historic rocket launch and landing this weekend

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>SpaceX is scheduled to try, for the third time, launching a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch is scheduled for Wednesday at 6:03 pm ET.<p>SpaceX aborted its launch on Tuesday at 5:55 pm due to strong upper-level winds. The launch was abandoned Monday for similar reasons regarding bad weather. SpaceX just can't seem to catch a break.</p><p>And now, despite a forecast for favorable launch weather, rocky seas have led <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-abandons-rocket-landing-test-2015-2">the company to abandon</a> a potentially historic rocket landing.</p><p>On Sunday the launch was scrubbed a couple of minutes before lift off because of issues with the Air Force radar malfunctioning, <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/564562686478807043">Elon Musk tweeted</a>. On Tuesday there were no technical issues, but high-level winds would have made it too difficult for the spacecraft to safely maneuver.</p><p>The 22-story-tall Falcon 9 rocket is set to lift off out of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida around sunset. Live coverage of the launch will start at 5 pm ET on <a href="http://www.ustream.tv/nasahdtv">NASA TV</a>, provided below:</p><div><p>SpaceX also has it's own live stream of the launch closer to the launch window:</p><p>If the launch is postponed on Wednesday, the next opportunity won't come until <a href="http://spacenews.com/technical-problems-postpone-falcon-9-launch-of-dscovr/">Feb. 20</a>.</p><div><br><a href="http://www.ustream.tv" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" target="_blank">Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream</a></br></div><div></div></div><h2>The main mission</h2><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>For this launch, the rocket will ferry an important instrument into space: the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR).<p>DSCOVR, shown to the right, is the latest instrument that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will use to monitor solar winds. The sun emits gusts of high-energy particles in the form of solar wind, and when those gusts occasionally reach Earth's magnetic field it can disrupt the planet's power grids, telecommunications, aviation, and GPS.</p><p>Having a satellite like this is "the first line of defense ... for us to be able to take the appropriate action to protect our system from any impacts that could happen," said David Velazquez, the executive vice president for <a href="http://www.pepcoholdings.com/">Pepco Holdings Inc.</a> - a holding company for the Potomac Electric Power Company - in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akM4WmGJ_j8#t=100">NOAA video</a>.</p><p>After the rocket detaches from DSCOVR in space, the climate observatory will begin a 110-day long journey to its final orbit while the rocket will head back toward Earth.</p><p>To get the satellite well on its way, the rocket will travel farther into space than any previous SpaceX Falcon9 rocket in history. This will make rocket reentry trickier than normal, Elon Musk said:</p><div><div></div></div><p>There's a special point in space, called <a href="http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wlagran.html">Lagrangian Point 1</a>, where a spacecraft can orbit so that it will always remain between the Earth and the Sun.</p><p>"The L1 position will provide DSCOVR with a point of 'early warning' when a surge of particles and magnetic field from the sun will hit Earth," <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/noaas-dscovr-going-to-a-far-out-orbit/#.VNPlzVXF-7E">NASA said in a statement</a>. The observatory will sound the alarm 30 to 45 minutes ahead of time.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-falcon-9-rocket-take-off-elon-musk-2015-1">Watch The Successful Launch Of The SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="9wcmZwcjpsahVipu6woSmA61kYQmZNlb" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

LIVE: SpaceX will launch a rocket with an important payload for science on Wednesday

<p></p>
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div>
<div class="image on-image">
<p class="source"><span><a href="http://justatinker.com/Future/wallpapers/barge-landed-1920-1080.png">Jon Ross at @zlsadesign and zlsa.github.io</a></span></p>
<p class="caption">Artist's impression of a SpaceX rocket landing.</p>
</img></div>
<p></p>
</div></div>On Sunday SpaceX will make a second attempt at a historic rocket landing on a floating platform in the ocean.
<p>A 22-story-tall Falcon 9 rocket will lift off out of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida a couple of minutes after sunset, at 6:10 ET. The weather for take off looks clear as of 5pm.</p>
<p>And within a half hour or so after take-off, the rocket will return from space and attempt to guide its way, using GPS tracking, onto a droneship in the Atlantic.</p>
<p>Five years ago, a landing attempt like this was unheard of. But SpaceX is changing things up and paving the way for a new era of reusable rockets. The company, founded by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, has gone to great lengths to build the foundations for a future of cheap space travel. The key to that future is reusable rockets that can carry cargo and astronauts into space multiple times instead of only once.</p>
<p>So far, SpaceX has never recovered a rocket for reuse. But if everything goes according to plan this Sunday and the rocket lands softly, it would be a game changer.</p>
<p>NASA TV will be streaming the launch live starting at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. The live stream is provided below.</p>
<p><br><a href="http://www.ustream.tv" target="_blank">Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream</a></br></p>
<p>&#xa0;<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">If the launch is aborted, SpaceX has prepared a backup launch opportunity for 6:07 p.m. on Monday. And with </span><a href="http://www.universetoday.com/118246/spacex-could-launch-17-rockets-in-2015-including-the-most-powerful-rocket-since-saturn-v/">17 potential rocket launches</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> scheduled for 2015, there is plenty of opportunity to get it right even if this latest attempt doesn't work.</span></p>
<p>The re-entry and landing of the rocket will be even more difficult this time around, because this mission is to send a satellite into deep space, <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/564509965612634112">Musk tweeted</a>:</p>
<div><div>
 <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
  <p>
   Rocket reentry will be much tougher this time around due to deep space mission. Almost 2X force and 4X heat. Plenty of hydraulic fluid tho.  </p>- Elon Musk  (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/564509965612634112">February 8, 2015</a>
 </blockquote>
 
</div></div>
<p class="embed-spacer">The rocket had trouble on the last attempt, because it ran out of hydraulic fluid, sending it careening out of control on its way onto the drone ship:</p>
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 <iframe class="vine-embed" src="https://vine.co/v/OjqeYWWpVWK/embed/simple?audio=0" width="600" height="600" frameborder="0">
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<p class="embed-spacer"></p>
<h2>Technology for the future</h2>
<p></p>
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div>
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<p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR/">NOAA/NASA/U.S. Air Force</a></span></p>
</img></div>
<p></p>
</div></div>The landing attempt isn't the only exciting thing about Sunday's launch. For this launch, the rocket will also ferry an important instrument into space: the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR).
<p>DSCOVR, shown to the right, is the latest instrument that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will use to monitor solar winds. The sun emits gusts of high-energy particles in the form of solar wind, and when those gusts occasionally reach Earth's magnetic field it can disrupt the planet's power grids, telecommunications, aviation, and GPS.</p>
<p>Having a satellite like this is "the first line of defense ... for us to be able to take the appropriate action to protect our system from any impacts that could happen," said David Velazquez, the executive vice president for <a href="http://www.pepcoholdings.com/">Pepco Holdings Inc.</a> - a holding company for the Potomac Electric Power Company - in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akM4WmGJ_j8#t=100">NOAA video</a>.</p>
<p>After the rocket detaches from DSCOVR in space, the climate observatory will begin a 110-day long journey to its final orbit while the rocket will head back toward Earth.</p>
<p>There's a special point in space, called <a href="http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wlagran.html">Lagrangian Point 1</a>, where a spacecraft can orbit so that it will always remain between the Earth and the Sun.</p>
<p>"The L1 position will provide DSCOVR with a point of 'early warning' when a surge of particles and magnetic field from the sun will hit Earth," <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/noaas-dscovr-going-to-a-far-out-orbit/#.VNPlzVXF-7E">NASA said in a statement</a>. The observatory will sound the alarm 30 to 45 minutes ahead of time.</p>

LIVE: SpaceX takes a second try for a potentially historic rocket landing

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>After two days of delays, SpaceX is scheduled to launch their Falcon9 rocket at 6:05 pm ET on Tuesday.<p>On Sunday the launch was scrubbed a couple of minutes before lift off be cause of issues with the Air Force radar malfunctioning, <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/564562686478807043">Elon Musk tweeted</a>.</p><p>The launch could be historic, but it's not what goes up that's exciting, but what will come down - SpaceX is set to make it's second attempt at landing the rocket on a drone ship, so it can be recovered and reused for another launch.</p><p>Shortly after take-off, the rocket will have already returned from space and attempted to guide its way, using GPS tracking, onto a droneship in the Atlantic.</p><p>Watch the launch live here. The 22-story-tall Falcon 9 rocket is set to lift off out of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida around sunset. Live coverage of the launch will start at 5 pm ET on <a href="http://www.ustream.tv/nasahdtv">NASA TV</a>, provided below:</p><div><p>If the rocket doesn't launch today, there's one more opportunity to launch Wednesday, but after that the launch window closes until <a href="http://spacenews.com/technical-problems-postpone-falcon-9-launch-of-dscovr/">Feb. 20</a>.</p><div><br><a href="http://www.ustream.tv" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" target="_blank">Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream</a></br></div></div><p>With <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/118246/spacex-could-launch-17-rockets-in-2015-including-the-most-powerful-rocket-since-saturn-v/">17 potential rocket launches</a> scheduled for 2015, there are plenty of opportunities to get it right even if this latest attempt doesn't work.</p><h2>Reuseable rocket problems</h2><p>Five years ago, a landing attempt like this was unheard of. But SpaceX is changing things up and paving the way for a new era of reusable rockets. The company, founded by billionaire entrepreneur Musk, has gone to great lengths to build the foundations for a future of cheap space travel. The key to that future is reusable rockets that can carry cargo and astronauts into space multiple times instead of only once.</p><p>SpaceX has never recovered a rocket for reuse. But if everything goes according to plan on the next attempt and the rocket lands softly, it would be a game changer.</p><p>The re-entry and landing of the rocket will be even more difficult this time around, because this mission is to send a satellite into deep space, <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/564509965612634112">Musk tweeted</a></p><div><div></div></div><p><br>The rocket had trouble on its most recent attempt, because it ran out of hydraulic fluid, sending it careening out of control on its way onto the drone ship:<br><br /></br></br></p><div><div></div></div><p>&#xa0;</p><p>The main mission</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>The landing attempt isn't the only exciting thing about the launch. For this launch, the rocket will also ferry an important instrument into space: the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR).<p>DSCOVR, shown to the right, is the latest instrument that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will use to monitor solar winds. The sun emits gusts of high-energy particles in the form of solar wind, and when those gusts occasionally reach Earth's magnetic field it can disrupt the planet's power grids, telecommunications, aviation, and GPS.</p><p>Having a satellite like this is "the first line of defense ... for us to be able to take the appropriate action to protect our system from any impacts that could happen," said David Velazquez, the executive vice president for <a href="http://www.pepcoholdings.com/">Pepco Holdings Inc.</a> - a holding company for the Potomac Electric Power Company - in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akM4WmGJ_j8#t=100">NOAA video</a>.</p><p>After the rocket detaches from DSCOVR in space, the climate observatory will begin a 110-day long journey to its final orbit while the rocket will head back toward Earth.</p><p>There's a special point in space, called <a href="http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wlagran.html">Lagrangian Point 1</a>, where a spacecraft can orbit so that it will always remain between the Earth and the Sun.</p><p>"The L1 position will provide DSCOVR with a point of 'early warning' when a surge of particles and magnetic field from the sun will hit Earth," <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/noaas-dscovr-going-to-a-far-out-orbit/#.VNPlzVXF-7E">NASA said in a statement</a>. The observatory will sound the alarm 30 to 45 minutes ahead of time.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-falcon-9-rocket-take-off-elon-musk-2015-1">Watch The Successful Launch Of The SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="9wcmZwcjpsahVipu6woSmA61kYQmZNlb" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

You Searched For "sun earth lagrangian" and got 6 results

ISRO 'very busy' with various exploration missions in pipeline: Chairman

PTI

Aditya L1: Solar quakes can alter geomagnetic field of earth says top scientist

PTI

SpaceX will attempt a potentially historic rocket launch and landing this weekend

Jessica Orwig

LIVE: SpaceX will launch a rocket with an important payload for science on Wednesday

Jessica Orwig,Kelly Dickerson

LIVE: SpaceX takes a second try for a potentially historic rocket landing

Jessica Orwig

LIVE: SpaceX is about to take another shot at a potentially historic rocket landing

Jessica Orwig

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