NASA Launches Major Climate Satellite Today: Watch Live

NASA and the Japan's space agency will lauunch one of the most significant new weather and climate satellites in years on Thursday. Known as the Global Precipitation Measurement Mission, or “GPM," the spacecraft is meant to provide scientists with a new global real-time view of rain and snowfall. It will take 3D snapshots of storms, including hurricanes, with data likely to start flowing by the beginning of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season on June 1.

The satellite, which is a joint venture between NASA and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is scheduled for launch between 1:37 p.m. and 2:37 p.m. ET, and will be broadcast live online. The satellite is will launch from tiny Tanegashima Island, on the southernmost corner of JapanMashable will be providing live coverage, and additional information can be obtained via @NASA_Rain and NASA's website. Read more...