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NASA's Earth Observing System
OCO-2 Suomi NPP Aura Aqua
OCO-2 Suomi NPP Aura 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

The Earth Observer has a new look!

Welcome to a new era for The Earth Observer newsletter! Our 35th anniversary also marks the official public release of our new website. Over the past year and a half, The Earth Observer has migrated from a print publication (the last printed issue was November–December 2022) to publishing PDFs online only (final PDF issue published in May 2024) to publishing individual articles on our new site. While this move shifts The Earth Observer’s format to be more in line with that of other online publications, our intent is for the content to remain distinctive. Readers can expect to continue receiving the same quality reporting on NASA Earth Science activities that they have come to depend on from The Earth Observer for over 35 years.

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NASA's PACE Mission Makes Data Available to the Public

In the January–February 2024 issue of The Earth Observer, read all about NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO), which just celebrated its 25-year milestone anniversary, and NASA’s diverse array of exciting hands-on science engagement activities featured during the 2023 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Annual Meeting. Also included in this final PDF issue of the newsletter—in addition to regular NASA Earth science news highlights and the Earth Science Meeting and Workshop Calendar—are a summary of the 2023 GRACE Follow-On Science Team Meeting and highlights from NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission.

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NASA's Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT)

In this issue of The Earth Observer, read about the February 8 launch of NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission, see the latest data from NASA's Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT), learn about NASA's Science Activation (SciAct) Program, celebrate 25 years and 10,000 profiles from the SHADOZ Ozonesonde Network, and much more!

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NASA's Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) Mission Releases First Images

In the September–October issue of The Earth Observer, turn to page 3 to read our in-depth feature article covering Earth science highlights from the "History of NASA and the Environment" symposium held at Georgetown University in September 2022. Also in this issue are meeting summaries from the Landsat and CERES science teams, as well as a summary of the "South/Southeast Asia Meeting on Air Pollution in Asia."

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NASA's TROPICS Mission Releases "first light" Images

In the July-August issue of The Earth Observer, turn to page 4 to read our feature article on NASA's Earth Day 2023 celebration at Washington, DC's Union Station. On page 13 you will find a summary of the 2023 MODIS/VIIRS Science Team Meeting. Also included in this issue are news and meeting/event highlights from NASA Earth Science. Topics covered include NASA's TROPICS and NISAR missions, and a dive into why NASA wants to identify phytoplankton species from space.

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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
  • CALIPSO
    Launch: Apr 28 2006
    Altitude:
    705km
    Inclination:
    98.20°
    Local Node:
    1:30 p.m.
  • CATS on ISS (NASA)
    Launch: Jan 10 2015
    Altitude:
    420km
    Inclination:
    51.65°
  • CloudSat (Joint with Canada)
    Launch: Apr 28 2006
    Altitude:
    705km
    Inclination:
    98.20°
    Local Node:
    1:30 p.m.
  • 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°
  • LIS on ISS (NASA)
    Launch: Feb 19 2017
    Altitude:
    420km
    Inclination:
    51.65°
  • 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
  • SORCE
    Launch: Jan 25 2003
    Altitude:
    640km
    Inclination:
    40.00°
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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°
  • 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°
  • PACE (NASA)
    Launch: Feb 8 2024
  • PREFIRE (NASA)
    Launch: 2024
    Altitude:
    470km
    Inclination:
    82.00°
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • TROPICS (NASA)
    Launch: May 7 2023
    Altitude:
    550km
    Inclination:
    32.00°
  • TSIS-1
    Launch: Dec 15 2017
    Altitude:
    415km
    Inclination:
    51.60°
  • TEMPO (NASA)
    Launch: Apr 7 2023
    Altitude:
    35,786km
    Inclination:
    0.00°
  • Sentinel-6B
    Launch: Nov 2025
    Altitude:
    1,336km
    Inclination:
    66.00°
  • CLARREO Path. (NASA)
    Altitude:
    400km
    Inclination:
    51.60°
  • JPSS-3
    Launch: 2032
    Altitude:
    833km
    Inclination:
    98.70°
  • JPSS-4
    Launch: 2027
    Altitude:
    833km
    Inclination:
    98.70°
  • Libera (NASA, Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at University of Colorado)
  • MAIA (NASA)
    Launch: Nov 2025
  • NISAR (NASA, ISRO)
    Launch: Mar 2025
    Altitude:
    747km
    Inclination:
    98.00°
  • TSIS-2 (NASA)
    Launch: May 2025
    Altitude:
    600km
    Inclination:
    97.70°
• Completed Missions • Current Missions • Future Missions