CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA and India paired up to launch an Earth-mapping satellite on Wednesday capable of tracking even the slightest shifts in land and ice. The $1.3 billion mission will help forecasters and first responders stay one step ahead of floods, landslides, volcanic eruptions and other disasters, according to scientists.

NASA and India have paired up to launch an Earth-mapping satellite capable of tracking the slightest changes in land and ice. Scientists say the $1.3 billion mission will help forecasters and first responders stay one step ahead of floods, landslides and other disasters.

The US space agency NASA has launched a satellite into space in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) designed to measure changes on the Earth's surface at levels of precision previously unknown.