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OCO-2 Terra SMAP GPM
OCO-2 Terra SMAP GPM

Recent Imagery

You will be directed to the NASA Visible Earth webpage when you select Images by Mission below, or click on the images at right that are randomly generated to represent four out of all possible topics.

Images by Mission
ADEOS Aqua Aquarius Aura CALIPSO CloudSat EO-1 GOES 13-15 GRACE ICESat Jason-1 Landsat 7 Landsat 8 OSTM/Jason-2 QuikSCAT Seasat 1 SeaWinds SORCE Suomi NPP Terra TOPEX TOMS-EP TRMM

Thirty Years Reporting on NASA’s Earth Science Program

The March-April issue of The Earth Observer marks the thirtieth anniversary of the publication of our first issue (March 1989)—shortly after the official beginning of NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) Program. The Earth Observer has adapted over the years, maintaining its role for three decades. It is well known and respected throughout the global Earth science community, with around 5300 subscribers around the world at last count. Now in Volume 31, the newsletter continues to live out the mission it had from its inception: to report timely news from NASA’s Earth Science Program. On page 4 of this issue, Executive Editor, Alan Ward, offers his perspective on the publication’s evolution over the time he has been involved.

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Jan-Feb 2019 issue of The Earth Observer

To close out 2018, NASA’s Science Communications Support Office (SCSO) supported the NASA Science exhibit at the AGU’s Fall Meeting, held December 10-14, 2018, in Washington, DC. The booth featured NASA’s Hyperwall, a virtual reality space, a hands-on demonstration area, and a NASA Anniversaries area to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the agency. To learn more about the exhibit and NASA’s participation in the AGU Centennial Narratives Project, we invite you to read the January-February 2019 issue of The Earth Observer.

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Nov-Dec 2018 issue of The Earth Observer

We invite you to check out the November-December issue of The Earth Observer. The issue includes a report from the GEO-CAPE Air Quality Science Workshop, focusing on the Atmospheric Composition Virtual Constellation (AC-VC), whose goal is to collect and deliver data to improve monitoring, assessment, and model predictions for changes in the ozone layer, air quality, and climate forcing. The newsletter also includes updates from the DSCOVR mission, the 2018 Vector-Borne and Water-Related Disease Workshop, twenty-first OMI Science Team Meeting, thirtieth CERES Science Team Meeting, and 2018 Earth Radiation Budget Workshop.

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The 2019 NASA Science Calendar is Now Available!

At NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, our vision propels us to be purposeful and blur the lines between the present and future. From the first 60 years of NASA Science and into the future, our goal is to reach beyond what we know by investigating nature—the Earth, the Moon, the Sun, other worlds of our solar system, the countless stars and galaxies, and the universe—where we can learn more. The selected images in this calendar are nature’s art. Each is a moment in space and time that represents the efforts of many individuals committed to the scientific pursuit of knowledge and advancement of humankind.

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2018 AGU: Schedule of Events at the NASA Booth

Are you traveling to Washington, DC to attend the 2018 AGU Fall Meeting, held December 10-14, 2018? If so, we invite you to visit the NASA Booth in the Exhibit Hall. Learn something new, have fun, and discover together!

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NASA's Earth Observing System Project Science Office

NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) is a coordinated series of polar-orbiting and low inclination satellites for long-term global observations of the land surface, biosphere, solid Earth, atmosphere, and oceans. As a major component of the Earth Science Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, EOS enables an improved understanding of the Earth as an integrated system. The EOS Project Science Office (EOSPSO) is committed to bringing program information and resources to the Earth science research community and the general public alike.

Download ChartEarth Science Mission Profiles

This website has been designed to cover not just the original Earth Observing System (EOS) missions, but also all of NASA’s Earth-observing satellite missions (many of them joint with other nations and/or agencies), along with other elements of NASA’s Earth Science program. The EOSPSO is funded through the Earth Science Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.

NASA Earth Science Division Operating Missions

Updated: May 17, 2019

 
  • ACRIMSAT
    Launch: Dec 20 1999
    Altitude:
    720km
    Inclination:
    98.10°
    Local Node:
    10:00 a.m.
  • ADEOS
    Launch: Aug 17 1996
    Altitude:
    803km
    Inclination:
    98.60°
    Local Node:
    10:15 a.m.
  • ATS
    Launch: Dec 7 1966
  • Aquarius (NASA/Argentina )
    Launch: Jun 10 2011
    Altitude:
    657km
    Inclination:
    98.00°
    Local Node:
    6:00 a.m.
  • ATLAS-1
    Launch: Mar 24 1992
  • CHAMP
    Launch: Jul 15 2000
  • CATS on ISS (NASA)
    Launch: Jan 10 2015
    Altitude:
    420km
    Inclination:
    51.65°
  • CRRES
    Launch: Jul 25 1990
  • DE 1
    Launch: Aug 3 1981
  • DE 2
    Launch: Aug 3 1981
  • EO-1
    Launch: Nov 21 2000
    Altitude:
    705km
    Inclination:
    98.20°
    Local Node:
    10:01 a.m.
  • ERBS
    Launch: Oct 5 1984
  • ESSA
    Launch: Feb 3 1966
  • ERS-1 (ESA)
    Launch: Jul 17 1991
  • GEOSAT
    Launch: Mar 12 1985
  • GOES A-C
    Launch: Oct 16 1975
  • GOES D-H
    Launch: Sep 9 1980
  • GOES I-M
    Launch: Apr 13 1994
  • GRACE (Joint with Germany)
    Launch: Mar 17 2002
    Altitude:
    485km
    Inclination:
    89.00°
  • ICESat
    Launch: Jan 12 2003
    Altitude:
    600km
    Inclination:
    94.00°
  • ISS-RapidScat (NASA)
    Launch: Sep 21 2014
    Altitude:
    420km
    Inclination:
    51.65°
  • Jason-1 (Joint with France)
    Launch: Dec 7 2001
    Altitude:
    1,336km
    Inclination:
    66.00°
  • MOS-1
    Launch: Feb 19 1987
  • MOMS
    Launch: Jun 18 1983
  • Nimbus 1
    Launch: Aug 28 1964
  • Nimbus 2
    Launch: May 15 1966
  • Nimbus 3
    Launch: Apr 14 1969
  • Nimbus 4
    Launch: Apr 8 1970
  • Nimbus 5
    Launch: Dec 11 1972
  • Nimbus 6
    Launch: Jun 12 1975
  • Nimbus 7
    Launch: Oct 24 1978
  • NOAA-POES
    Launch: Mar 28 1993
  • PARASOL (France)
    Launch: Dec 4 2004
    Altitude:
    705km
    Inclination:
    98.00°
    Local Node:
    1:30 p.m.
  • RADARSAT (Joint with Canada)
    Launch: Nov 4 1995
  • SeaWiFS
    Launch: Aug 1 1997
    Altitude:
    705km
    Inclination:
    98.20°
    Local Node:
    12:00 noon
  • Seasat 1
    Launch: Jun 28 1978
  • SeaWinds (Joint with Japan and France)
    Launch: Dec 14 2002
    Altitude:
    803km
    Inclination:
    98.60°
  • SRTM (Joint with NGA, Germany, and Italy)
    Launch: Feb 11 2000
  • SIR-C (Joint with Germany and Italy)
    Launch: Apr 19 1994
  • SAGE-III
    Launch: Dec 10 2001
    Altitude:
    1,020km
    Inclination:
    99.50°
    Local Node:
    9:30 a.m.
  • SMS
    Launch: May 17 1974
  • TIROS (NASA)
    Launch: Apr 1 1960
  • TERRIERS
    Launch: May 18 1999
  • TOPEX
    Launch: Aug 10 1992
  • TOMS-EP
    Launch: Jul 2 1996
  • TRMM (Joint with Japan)
    Launch: Nov 27 1997
    Altitude:
    402km
    Inclination:
    35.00°
  • UARS
    Launch: Sep 12 1991
    Altitude:
    585km
    Inclination:
    57.00°
  • Aqua (Joint with Japan and Brazil)
    Launch: May 4 2002
    Altitude:
    705km
    Inclination:
    98.20°
    Local Node:
    1:30 p.m.
  • Aura (Joint with Netherlands, Finland, and the U.K.)
    Launch: Jul 15 2004
    Altitude:
    705km
    Inclination:
    98.20°
    Local Node:
    1:45 p.m.
  • CALIPSO
    Launch: Apr 28 2006
    Altitude:
    705km
    Inclination:
    98.20°
    Local Node:
    1:30 p.m.
  • CloudSat (Joint with Canada)
    Launch: Apr 28 2006
    Altitude:
    705km
    Inclination:
    98.20°
    Local Node:
    1:30 p.m.
  • CYGNSS (NASA)
    Launch: Dec 15 2016
    Altitude:
    510km
    Inclination:
    35.00°
  • DSCOVR (NOAA)
    Launch: Feb 11 2015
  • ECOSTRESS (NASA)
    Launch: Jun 29 2018
    Altitude:
    400km
    Inclination:
    51.60°
  • GOES-16 (NASA/NOAA)
    Launch: Nov 19 2016
    Altitude:
    35,800km
  • GOES 13-15
    Launch: May 24 2005
  • GEDI on ISS (NASA)
    Launch: Dec 5 2018
    Altitude:
    400km
    Inclination:
    51.60°
  • GPM Core
    Launch: Feb 27 2014
    Altitude:
    407km
    Inclination:
    65.00°
  • GRACE-FO (NASA, German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ))
    Launch: May 22 2018
    Altitude:
    490km
    Inclination:
    89.00°
  • ICESat-2
    Launch: Sep 15 2018
    Altitude:
    481km
    Inclination:
    92.00°
  • Jason-3 (Joint with NOAA, CNES, and EUMETSAT)
    Launch: Jan 17 2016
    Altitude:
    1,336km
    Inclination:
    66.00°
  • JPSS-1
    Launch: Nov 18 2017
    Altitude:
    833km
    Inclination:
    98.70°
    Local Node:
    1:30 p.m.
  • Landsat 7 (Joint with USGS)
    Launch: Apr 15 1999
    Altitude:
    705km
    Inclination:
    98.20°
    Local Node:
    10:05 a.m.
  • Landsat 8
    Launch: Feb 11 2013
    Altitude:
    705km
    Inclination:
    98.20°
    Local Node:
    10:30 a.m.
  • LAGEOS 1&2
    Launch: May 4 1976
  • LIS on ISS (NASA)
    Launch: Feb 19 2017
    Altitude:
    420km
    Inclination:
    51.65°
  • NOAA-N
    Launch: May 20 2005
  • OSTM/Jason-2 (Joint with NOAA, CNES, and EUMETSAT)
    Launch: Jan 20 2008
    Altitude:
    1,336km
    Inclination:
    66.00°
  • OCO-2 (NASA)
    Launch: Jul 2 2014
    Altitude:
    705km
    Inclination:
    98.20°
    Local Node:
    1:15 p.m.
  • ISS-OCO-3 (NASA)
    Launch: May 4 2019
    Altitude:
    400km
    Inclination:
    51.60°
  • QuikSCAT
    Launch: Jun 19 1999
    Altitude:
    803km
    Inclination:
    98.60°
    Local Node:
    10:15 a.m.
  • SMAP
    Launch: Jan 31 2015
    Altitude:
    685km
    Inclination:
    98.00°
    Local Node:
    6:00 a.m.
  • SORCE
    Launch: Jan 25 2003
    Altitude:
    640km
    Inclination:
    40.00°
  • SAGE III-ISS (NASA, ESA)
    Launch: Feb 19 2017
    Altitude:
    350km
    Inclination:
    51.60°
  • Suomi NPP
    Launch: Oct 28 2011
    Altitude:
    824km
    Inclination:
    97.10°
    Local Node:
    1:30 p.m.
  • Terra
    Launch: Dec 18 1999
    Altitude:
    720km
    Inclination:
    98.10°
    Local Node:
    10:40 a.m.
  • GCOM-W1 (JAXA)
    Launch: May 18 2012
    Altitude:
    700km
    Inclination:
    98.00°
  • TSIS-1
    Launch: Dec 15 2017
    Altitude:
    415km
    Inclination:
    51.60°
  • ACE
  • CLARREO
    Altitude:
    609km
    Inclination:
    90.00°
  • CLARREO Path. (NASA)
    Launch: 2020
    Altitude:
    400km
    Inclination:
    51.60°
  • EMIT on ISS (NASA)
    Launch: 2022
    Altitude:
    400km
    Inclination:
    51.60°
  • GeoCARB (NASA)
    Launch: 2022
    Altitude:
    35,400km
  • JPSS-2
    Launch: 2021
    Altitude:
    833km
    Inclination:
    98.70°
    Local Node:
    1:30 p.m.
  • Landsat 9 (NASA/USGS)
    Launch: 2021
  • MAIA (NASA)
    Launch: 2021
  • NI-SAR (NASA, ISRO)
    Launch: 2022
    Altitude:
    747km
    Inclination:
    98.00°
  • PACE (NASA)
    Launch: 2023
  • PREFIRE (NASA)
    Launch: 2021
    Altitude:
    470km
    Inclination:
    82.00°
  • Sentinel-6 (ESA/CNES/COM/EUMETSAT/NASA/NOAA)
    Launch: 2020
    Altitude:
    1,366km
    Inclination:
    66.00°
  • SWOT (Joint with France)
    Launch: 2022
  • TROPICS (NASA)
    Launch: 2020
    Altitude:
    600km
    Inclination:
    30.00°
  • TSIS-2
    Launch: 2020
    Altitude:
    415km
    Inclination:
    51.60°
  • TEMPO (NASA)
    Launch: 2019
    Altitude:
    35,786km
    Inclination:
    0.00°
• Completed Missions • Current Missions • Future Missions