NASA set to launch first global water survey satellite

FILE PHOTO: The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) radar satellite spacecraft is moved into a transport container inside the Astrotech facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, U.S. November 18, 2022. USSF/Chris Okula/Handout via REUTERS.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A SpaceX rocket was due for launch from California early on Friday carrying a U.S.-French satellite designed to conduct the first global survey of Earth's surface waters, shedding new light on the mechanics and consequences of climate change.

The Falcon 9 rocket, owned and operated by billionaire Elon Musk's commercial launch company under NASA contract, was set for blastoff at 3:46 a.m. PST (1146 GMT) from Vandenberg U.S. Space Force Base, about 170 miles (275 km) northwest of Los Angeles.