WMAP

Mission

WMAP

• Type: Planetary Science
• Orbit: Sun-Earth L2

MAP was to measure fluctuations in the cosmic 3 Kelvin microwave background with the degree of precision required to answer questions about the big bang and the total mass and fate of the universe.

Location

Space Launch Complex 17B

Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

Space Launch Complex 17B has witnessed the launch of 132 rockets, including 132 orbital launch attempts, while Cape Canaveral, FL, USA, has been the site for 940 rocket launches.

Rocket

McDonnell Douglas Delta 7425-10

Delta II was an expendable launch system, originally designed and built by McDonnell Douglas. Delta II was part of the Delta rocket family and entered service in 1989. Delta II vehicles included the Delta 6000, and the two later Delta 7000 variants (“Light” and “Heavy”). The rocket flew its final mission ICESat-2 on 15 September 2018, earning the launch vehicle a streak of 100 successful missions in a row, with the last failure being GPS IIR-1 in 1997.

Agency

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal Corps, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the United States Armed Forces in 1947 with the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947.