A satellite which will attempt to measure the effect of pollutants on the Earth's atmosphere has been successfully launched.
NASA's Aura spacecraft will scan the atmosphere studying the movement of pollutants, paying particular attention to the ozone layer.
"Whether you're in Europe getting pollution from the United States or you're in the United States getting pollution from China, it's one atmosphere and we need to look at it from a global sense," said Mr Mark Schoebert, a project scientist from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Among its primary mission objectives, Aura will collect data on "holes" detected in the protective ozone layer at the poles. International treaties ban most uses of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons, butAura should show whether any earlier damage is being reversed.
The spacecraft will also track aerosols in the atmosphere, both industrial pollutants and those generated by fires.
"Aura is focused on trace gasses and aerosols that make up about one per cent of the atmosphere, but are almost as important as oxygen itself to life on Earth," said Mr Phil DeCola, another mission scientist.
Aura
Four more US and French satellites are due to be launched in the coming years forming a flotilla of environmental monitors that NASA has dubbed the A-Train.
The agency had been trying to launch the satellite since Sunday but a variety of technical problems kept it on the pad. Today's launch, however, was flawless, NASA said.
Aura
should be in its proper orbit, all its systems tested and fully operational in 90 days and its first are expected to be made public in December. will fall into an orbit trailing another of NASA's Earth observation satellites,
Aqua
, which studies oceans and was launched in 2002.