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Terra Landsat 7 SMAP Aqua
Terra Landsat 7 SMAP Aqua

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

Open-Source Science: The NASA Earth Science Perspective

An important role that NASA undertakes is to provide data to foster scientific research. For NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) Program, this means anywhere in the world is allowed access to more than 57 petabytes (PB) of NASA Earth observing data—along with all documentation, code, algorithm theoretical basis documents (ATBDs), and other ancillary materials. The feature article in September-October issue of The Earth Observer newsletter describes an evolving NASA paradigm called open-source science, which is taking previous open science efforts to the next level and making research conducted using NASA data—and scientific research in general—more inclusive, collaborative, diverse, and equitable.

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The Legacy Continues: Landsat 9 Moves Landsat Toward a Golden Milestone

The July-August 2021 issue of The Earth Observer features an article on Landsat 9, which is scheduled to launch on September 16, 2021, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California onboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket. The spacecraft will be inserted into a 705 km near-polar orbit where it will join the Landsat 8 satellite, essentially taking over the position Landsat 7 now occupies in the Morning Constellation. The launch of Landsat 9 will add a new and exciting chapter to the nearly 50-year story of Landsat observations. 

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Connected by Earth: Summary of NASA’s 2021 Virtual Earth Day Event

NASA’s 2021 Virtual Earth Day Event was a successful online event. With registration free and open to the public, NASA was able to celebrate Earth Day with more than 7000 registered attendees around the globe. To read about the live webinar events and other activities, turn to page 4 of the May-June 2021 issue of The Earth Observer.

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NASA’s DEVELOP Program Engages Summer Participants in Virtual Activities

During DEVELOP’s Spring 2020 term, rapidly evolving circumstances required an ad hoc rollout of a virtual approach to complete the ongoing projects. Participants were roughly seven weeks into the project term in mid-March when the program’s host locations began closing because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to these new workplace realities, the DEVELOP Program pivoted from colocating students, emerging professionals, and science advisors at in-person locations to forming virtual teams from across the U.S. Turn to page 4 of the March-April 2021 issue of The Earth Observer to learn more about the DEVELOP Summer 2020 virtual learning experience.

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NASA Science at the First Virtual AGU Fall Meeting

It is now a familiar routine for NASA’s Science Support Office to end the year coordinating the NASA Science exhibit at the AGU Fall Meeting, held in December each year. But 2020 had different plans in store for everyone, bringing a screeching halt to in-person scientific conferences and events, and hurling the NASA Science exhibit team into new territory: virtual events. The first-ever 100% virtual AGU Fall Meeting, with the tagline Online Everywhere, took place December 1–17, 2020. In an effort to extend the reach of this event, an article in the November-December 2021 issue of The Earth Observer provides screenshots and associated links that visually represent the NASA Science exhibit at the first virtual AGU Fall Meeting.

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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 Missions

Updated: June 23, 2021

 
  • 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
  • OSTM/Jason-2 (Joint with NOAA, CNES, and EUMETSAT)
    Launch: Jan 20 2008
    Altitude:
    1,336km
    Inclination:
    66.00°
  • PARASOL (France)
    Launch: Dec 4 2004
    Altitude:
    705km
    Inclination:
    98.00°
    Local Node:
    1:30 p.m.
  • QuikSCAT
    Launch: Jun 19 1999
    Altitude:
    803km
    Inclination:
    98.60°
    Local Node:
    10:15 a.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
  • 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.
  • Landsat 9 (NASA/USGS)
    Launch: Sep 27 2021
    Altitude:
    705km
    Inclination:
    98.20°
  • LIS on ISS (NASA)
    Launch: Feb 19 2017
    Altitude:
    420km
    Inclination:
    51.65°
  • NOAA-N
    Launch: May 20 2005
  • 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°
  • Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich (ESA/CNES/COM/EUMETSAT/NASA/NOAA)
    Launch: Nov 21 2020
    Altitude:
    1,366km
    Inclination:
    66.00°
  • 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°
  • Sentinel-6B
    Launch: 2025
    Altitude:
    1,336km
    Inclination:
    66.00°
  • CLARREO Path. (NASA)
    Launch: 2020
    Altitude:
    400km
    Inclination:
    51.60°
  • EMIT on ISS (NASA)
    Launch: 2022
    Altitude:
    400km
    Inclination:
    51.60°
  • GeoCarb (NASA)
    Launch: 2024
    Altitude:
    35,786km
  • GLIMR
    Launch: 2026
  • JPSS-2
    Launch: 2021
    Altitude:
    833km
    Inclination:
    98.70°
    Local Node:
    1:30 p.m.
  • JPSS-3
    Launch: 2027
    Altitude:
    833km
    Inclination:
    98.70°
  • JPSS-4
    Altitude:
    833km
    Inclination:
    98.70°
  • MAIA (NASA)
    Launch: 2021
  • NI-SAR (NASA, ISRO)
    Launch: 2022
    Altitude:
    747km
    Inclination:
    98.00°
  • PACE (NASA)
    Launch: 2024
  • PREFIRE (NASA)
    Launch: 2021
    Altitude:
    470km
    Inclination:
    82.00°
  • SWOT (Joint with France)
    Launch: 2022
  • TROPICS (NASA)
    Launch: 2022
    Altitude:
    600km
    Inclination:
    30.00°
  • TSIS-2 (NASA)
    Launch: 2023
    Altitude:
    415km
    Inclination:
    51.60°
  • TEMPO (NASA)
    Launch: 2022
    Altitude:
    35,786km
    Inclination:
    0.00°
• Completed Missions • Current Missions • Future Missions