NASA's OCO-2 Satellite on the Launch Pad

The launch gantry surrounding the Delta II rocket with the second Orbiting Carbon Observatory satellite onboard is seen in this black and white infrared view of Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

The satellite will measure the global distribution of carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth’s climate. 

OCO-2 is set for a July 1, 2014,launch.

Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls