1:55pm EST, 2/27/14

We have spacecraft separation! The GPM Core Observatory is flying on its own in orbit. The bolts holding it to the second stage sucessfully severed and the second stage has separated. The GPM spacecraft is flying on battery power until its two solar arrays deploy shortly.

1:52pm EST, 2/27/14

The nosecone fairing that protected the GPM Core Observatory through the atmosphere has safely separated and fallen away.

1:47pm EST, 2/27/14

The GPM Core Observatory has begun transmitting telemetry on to Mission Operations Control at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. 

1:45pm EST, 2/27/14

Second stage ignition! At [SPEED] the upper stage of the H-IIA continues to propel the GPM Core Observatory into space.

1:42pm EST, 2/27/14

L+4 min 5 sec            Payload Fairing jettison

The nosecone fairing that protected the GPM Core Observatory through the atmosphere has safely separated and fallen away. The main engine will continue to burn for 2 minutes 31 seconds, taking the Core Observatory higher into orbit.

1:38pm EST, 2/27/14

We have LIFTOFF of the NASA-JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory from Japan on an H-IIA rocket.

To better understand Earth's weather and climate cycles, the GPM Core Observatory will collect information that unifies and improves data from an international constellation of existing and future satellites by mapping global precipitation every three hours.