The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched the EarthCARE satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, with the confirmation signal about the satellite's orbital status coming from the Hartebeesthoek ground station in South Africa. The mission is a joint venture between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and was designed and built by a consortium of more than 75 companies under Airbus as the prime contractor.
