A Delta II rocket carrying the Thales Alenia-Space COSMO-SkyMed Satellite launched from Vandenberg on Dec. 8 at 6:31 p.m. The rocket, second of two COSMO-SkyMed launches scheduled from Vandenberg, took off from Space Launch Complex-2. The Delta II is an expendable launch, medium-lift vehicle. It carries civil and commercial payloads into low-earth, polar, geosynchronous transfer and stationary orbits.