Politics delayed the mission, but the spacecraft, with a new focus and the new name DSCOVR, will launch in 2015. Update: DSCOVR launched successfully aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on February 11.

The DSCOVR mission is a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Air Force, with the primary objective to maintain the nation's real-time ...