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Aura GPM Terra Landsat 8
Aura GPM Terra Landsat 8

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

Subscribe Today! The Earth Observer is Going Green

Beginning with the January–February 2023 issue, The Earth Observer will be published exclusively online. To receive notification when new issues are published online your email address must be registered on our subscription list. Click here to Subscribe or turn to page 43 of the September-October issue to learn more, so you can stay connected to The Earth Observer beginning with Volume 35. Discontinuing The Earth Observer as a print publication after almost 34 years was a difficult decision to make. However, we believe it is the best choice at this time to position the publication and its staff to thrive in a future where communication is increasingly digital.

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The Earth Observer Features SCOAPE and TEMPO

The first fully integrated powered testing of the Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument on Intelsat IS40e at Maxar Technologies’ manufacturing facility has been completed. TEMPO is currently targeted to launch in January 2023 into geostationary orbit, where it will have a continuous view stretching from Puerto Rico and Mexico to northern Canada—and including the entire continental U.S. To learn more about TEMPO and the three-member, “virtual” Air Quality Constellation of which it will be a part, see the News story on page 34 of the July-August 2022 issue of The Earth Observer. Continuing with the air quality theme, this issue’s feature article summarizes an interagency partnership between NASA and the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to monitor and quantify air pollution produced by oil and natural gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Aqua Turns 20

On May 4, 2002, at 2:55 AM Pacific Time, a rocket carrying NASA’s Aqua satellite—the second flagship satellite of the agency’s Earth Observing System (EOS) launched into space from Vandenberg Air Force Base, located in California. Since then, Aqua has orbited the Earth more than 100,000 times, and produced one of the longest near-continuous records of Earth observation data ever assembled. Its momentous Earth observation voyage has continued for more than two decades—far beyond anyone’s expectations.

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NASA Earth Science Data: A Valuable New Commodity for America’s Farmers

NASA recently participated in the Commodity Classic event in New Orleans, LA. This was NASA’s first time participating in this event, which is one of the largest agricultural trade shows in the U.S.—“created for farmers, by farmers.” NASA had a large presence in the exhibit hall and also offered a virtual participation option. NASA Administrator Sen. Bill Nelson and Brad Doorn [NASA Headquarters (HQ)—Director of NASA’s Water Resources and Agricultural Program] both recorded welcoming remarks for the event. Karen St. Germain [NASA HQ—Director of NASA’s Earth Science Division] attended the event and spoke at the NASA Hyperwall in the exhibit area. Turn to page 4 of the March-April issue of The Earth Observer to read a summary of NASA’s participation in the hybrid Commodity Classic event.

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CYGNSS: Five Years and Counting

The CYGNSS mission celebrated the fifth anniversary in orbit on December 15, 2021. The longevity of the mission—which was designed to last 24 months—has allowed for a major expansion of the scientific scope of the mission beyond its original focus on the measurement of hurricane winds. New areas of investigation include tropical and extratropical convective systems over ocean, soil moisture and freeze/ thaw state over land, and the mapping of inland water bodies in dynamic seasonal wetlands and due to flood inundation. Turn to page 5 of the Jan-Feb issue of The Earth Observer to learn more about the scientific and engineering achievements of this remarkable constellation of eight microsatellites after five years in orbit.

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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: September 26, 2022

 
  • 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
  • EMIT on ISS (NASA)
    Launch: Jul 14 2022
    Altitude:
    400km
    Inclination:
    51.60°
  • 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.
  • JPSS-2
    Launch: Nov 10 2022
    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.
  • SWOT (Joint with France)
    Launch: Dec 16 2022
  • 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: 2026
    Altitude:
    1,336km
    Inclination:
    66.00°
  • CLARREO Path. (NASA)
    Launch: 2023
    Altitude:
    400km
    Inclination:
    51.60°
  • GeoCarb (NASA)
    Launch: 2024
    Altitude:
    35,786km
  • GLIMR
    Launch: 2026
  • INCUS (NASA)
    Launch: 2027
  • JPSS-3
    Launch: 2027
    Altitude:
    833km
    Inclination:
    98.70°
  • JPSS-4
    Altitude:
    833km
    Inclination:
    98.70°
  • MAIA (NASA)
    Launch: 2023
  • NISAR (NASA, ISRO)
    Launch: Jan 2024
    Altitude:
    747km
    Inclination:
    98.00°
  • PACE (NASA)
    Launch: 2024
  • PREFIRE (NASA)
    Launch: 2023
    Altitude:
    470km
    Inclination:
    82.00°
  • TROPICS (NASA)
    Launch: 2023
    Altitude:
    600km
    Inclination:
    30.00°
  • TSIS-2 (NASA)
    Launch: May 2025
    Altitude:
    600km
    Inclination:
    97.70°
  • TEMPO (NASA)
    Launch: Mar 2023
    Altitude:
    35,786km
    Inclination:
    0.00°
• Completed Missions • Current Missions • Future Missions