GPM Core Observatory Rockets into Orbit on Mission to Monitor Global Precipitation

The joint NASA-JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory lifts off from the Tanegashima Space Centre, atop a H-IIA vehicle. Photo Credit: JAXA, with thanks to Mike Barrett

One of the world’s most reliable launch vehicles—the Japanese H-IIA—has further cemented its credentials by delivering an ambitious mission into orbit to monitor Earth’s precipitation levels [...]