NASA‘s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (Stereo) spacecraft arrived May 4 at Astrotech, a payload processing facility near Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to begin preparations and final testing for launch. Lift off aboard a Boeing Delta 2 rocket is scheduled during a launch window that runs from July 22 to Aug. 6.

Stereo consists of two spacecraft that will take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-D. This new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its impact on the Earth. The mission includes contributions from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, and the European Space Agency.