Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
Landsat 8 GPM Aqua Terra

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.

You are here

Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2)

Click image for alternate view

Status: Current, Extended Mission
Mission Category: Earth Systematic Missions Program, Decadal Survey 2007
Launch Date: September 15, 2018
Launch Location: Vandenberg Air Force Base
Designed Life: September 15, 2021

The Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) mission is one of the first four missions recommended for launch by NASA by the U.S. National Research Council (NRC) within Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond. The ICESat-2 mission will provide elevation measurements over the Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets to quantify changes in ice-sheet mass, the mechanisms that drive that change (variations in accumulation, changes in ice melt, or ice flow acceleration/deceleration), and the impact of these changes on future global sea level; monitor changes in sea-ice thickness to examine ice-ocean-atmosphere exchanges of energy, mass, and moisture; and measure vegetation canopy height as a basis for estimating large-scale biomass and biomass change.

Key Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 Facts

Mission/Portal Page: http://science.nasa.gov/missions/icesat-ii/
Launch Vehicle: Delta II
Altitude:Distance from sea level. 481km
Inclination: 92°
Instruments: ATLAS (Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System)
GPSP (Global Positioning System Payload)
Project Scientist(s): Thorsten Marcus
Deputy Project Scientist(s): Thomas Newman
Program Scientist(s): Thomas Wagner
Other Key Personnel: Richard Slonaker

Related Publications:

Relevant Science Focus Areas:

  • Climate Variability and Change
  • Earth Surface and Interior
  • Water and Energy Cycles

Relevant Science Questions:

  • How are global ecosystems changing?
  • How can climate variations induce changes in the global ocean circulation?
  • How is the global sea level affected by natural variability and human-induced change in the Earth system?
  • How will future carbon cycle dynamics and terrestrial and marine ecosystems change in the future?
  • What changes are occurring in the mass of the Earth’s ice cover?

Science Goals:

  • Quantify how much melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica contribute to sea level changes.
  • Quantify how ice sheets, glaciers, and more are gaining or losing mass at a regional level, to help researchers understand the mechanisms behind those changes.
  • Estimate the thickness of sea ice and monitor any changes.
  • Measure the height of vegetation in forests and other ecosystems worldwide.

Related Applications:

  • Air Quality
  • Carbon Management
  • Coastal Management
  • Ecological Forecasting
  • Water Management