A SpaceX rocket blasted off early on Friday carrying a U.S.-French satellite designed to conduct an unprecedented global survey of Earth's surface waters, a mission expected to shed new light on the mechanics and consequences of climate change.
The Falcon 9 booster owned and operated by Elon Musk's commercial rocket company lit up the predawn sky along California's coast as it roared off its launch pad at the Vandenberg U.S. Space Force Base, about 160 miles (260 km) northwest of Los Angeles.
