Countdown to ICESat-2 Launch

NASA is about to launch the agency's most advanced laser instrument of its kind into space. The Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2, will provide critical observations of how ice sheets, glaciers and sea ice are changing, leading to insights into how those changes impact people where they live.

Launch is scheduled for Sept. 15, and as we count down the days, we're counting up 10 things you should know about ICESat-2. "Stars Align," Andrew Michael Britton, Atmosphere Music Ltd.; "A New Hope," Al Lethbridge, Atmosphere Music Ltd. Complete transcript available.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Ryan Fitzgibbons