List of Earth observation satellites
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Partial list of Earth observation satellites by series/program.
Commercial
- Disaster Monitoring Constellation (9 different satellites as of 2013, 5 operating)[1]
- Pléiades (2 operating satellites)
- EROS A & B
- FORMOSAT-2 (decommissioned Aug 2016)
- IKONOS (decommissioned March 2015)
- QuickBird (reentered in Jan 2015)
- RapidEye (5 identical satellites as of 2012)
- SPOT (7 satellites, 3 operating)
- TerraSAR-X & TanDEM-X
- COSMO-SkyMed (4 identical satellites as of 2012)
- WorldView-1
- WorldView-2
- WorldView-3
- WorldView-4
- GeoEye-1
- Flock-1 (87 cubesats as of July 2015)
Scientific research from NASA/ESA/JAXA
The invention of climate research through the use of satellite remote telemetry began in the 1960s through development of space probes to study other planets. During the U.S. economic decline in 1977, with much of NASA's money going toward the Shuttle program, the Reagan Administration proposed to reduce spending on planetary exploration. During this time, new scientific evidence emerged from ice and sediment cores that Earth's climate had experienced rapid changes in temperature, running contrary to the previously held belief that the climate changed on a geological time scale. These changes increased political interest in gathering remote-sensing data on the Earth itself and stimulated the science of climatology.[2]
Name | Status | Agency | Launch | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
ACRIMSAT | Contact lost in December 2013[3] | NASA | 1999 | studies sun's infrared to ultraviolet output.[4] |
Aqua | Active | NASA | 2002 | carries six instruments to observe interactions among the four sphere's for earth's systems: oceans, land, atmosphere, and biosphere.[5] |
AQUARIUS | Mission ended June 2015 due to satellite power supply failure[6] | NASA & CONAE | 2011 | instrument on board SAC-D spacecraft measured salt concentrations in ocean surface needed to understand heat transport and storage in the ocean.[1] |
AURA | Active | NASA | 2004 | studies earth's ozone, air quality, and climate though observation of composition, chemistry, and dynamics of the atmosphere.[7] |
CALIPSO | Active | NASA | 2006 | studies thickness of clouds and aerosols for understanding of how much air pollution is present and changes in compositions in the atmosphere.[8] |
CloudSat | Active | NASA/Canada | 2006 | monitors the state of earth's atmosphere and weather through radar, which can be used to predict which clouds produce rain, observe snowfall, and monitor the moisture content of clouds.[9] |
Deep Space Climate Observatory | Active | NASA | 2015[10] | To study the Sun-lit side of Earth from the L1 Lagrange point |
EarthCARE | Planned | ESA/JAXA | 2022 | EarthCARE - Study of clouds and aerosols.[11] |
Earth Observing-1 (NMP) | Retired | NASA | 2001 | carrying land-imaging technology, used to demonstrate new instruments and spacecraft systems for future missions.[12] Retired on 30 March 2017.[13] |
Global Precipitation Measurement | Active | NASA/JAXA | 2014[14] | studies global precipitation.[15] |
GLORY | Launch Failure[16] | NASA | 2011 | studies aerosols, including black carbon, in addition to solar irradiance for the long-term effects.[17] |
GOES-12, -13, -14, -15 | Retired | NASA | 2001 | monitors weather for NOAA.[18] |
GOES-16, -17 | Active | NASA | 2016 | monitors weather for NOAA. |
GRACE | Retired[19] | NASA and German Space Agency | 2002 | observes and measures earth's gravitational field, which may help determining the shape and composition of the planet's distribution of water and ice.[20] |
GRACE-2 | Retired[21] | NASA | 2002 | Measures Earth's gravity field in order to track large scale water movement.[22] |
GRACE-FO | Active | NASA | 2018[23][24] | Gravity and climate. The mission will track changes in global sea levels, glaciers, and ice sheets, as well as large lake and river water levels, and soil moisture.[25] |
ICESat | Retired | NASA | 2003 | keeps track of size and thickness of earth's ice sheets.[26] |
ICESat-2 | Active | NASA | 2018 | Measure ice sheet height changes for climate change diagnoses.[27][28] |
Jason-1 | Retired | CNES/NASA | 2001 | uses a radar altimeter to monitor ocean surface height.[29] |
Jason-2 | Retired | CNES/NASA | 2008[30] | uses a radar altimeter to monitor ocean surface height.[29] |
Jason-3 | Active | CNES/NASA | 2016[30] | uses a radar altimeter to monitor ocean surface height.[29] |
LAGEOS 1&2 | Active | NASA | 1976 | LAGEOS 1 launched in 1976, LAGEOS 2, launched in 1992 used for orbiting benchmark for geodynamical studies.[31] |
Landsat-7 | Active | NASA | 1999 | takes digital images of earth's coastal areas with global coverage on a seasonal basis.[32] |
Landsat 8 | Active | NASA | 2013[33] | takes digital images of earth's coastal areas with global coverage on a seasonal basis.[32] |
Proba-V | Active | ESA | 2013 | V stands for Vegetation: to continue the traditional Vegetation products (1 km x 1 km) started with SPOT (free data for scientific purposes) [2] |
QuikSCAT | Retired | NASA | 1997 | monitors weather using bursts of microwaves which measure wind speeds.[34] |
SEASTAR (SEAWIFS) | Retired | NASA | 1997 | designed to monitor the color of earth's oceans.[35][36] |
SMAP | Active with partial failure | NASA | 2015 | Measures soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state, which enhance understanding of processes that link water, energy, and carbon cycles to extend the capabilities of weather and climate models. Radar payload failed in July 2015, leaving a radiometer as the primary instrument of the mission.[37] |
SORCE | Active | NASA | 2003 | monitors total output from the sun for understanding of earth's absorption of radiation energy.[27] |
SWOT | Planned | NASA | 2021 | Measures sea surface heights and terrestrial water heights.[38][3] |
TERRA | Active | NASA/Canada/Japan | 1999 | carries five instruments to observe the state of the atmosphere, land, and oceans, as well as their interactions with solar radiation and with one another.[39] |
TRMM | Retired | NASA/JAXA | 1997 | carries five instruments which uses radar and sensors of visible infrared light to closely monitor precipitation.[40] |
CLARREO | Proposed | NASA | Measures spectrally resolved Earth's reflectance and emitted radiation, and radio occultation derived refractivity; establishes on-orbit calibration reference; benchmarks and attributes change of climate.[41] | |
DESDynI | Proposed | NASA | Measures surface and ice sheet deformation to determine natural hazards of climate.[42] | |
HyspIRI | Proposed | NASA | Monitors land surface composition for agriculture and mineral characterization for ecosystem health.[43] | |
ASCENDS | Proposed | NASA | Measures the number density of CO2 in a column of beneath the craft in addition to ambient temperature and pressure.[44] | |
GEO-CAPE | Proposed | NASA | Monitors atmospheric gas columns for air-quality forecasts.[45] | |
ACE | Proposed | NASA | Using lidar, creates aerosol and cloud profiles.[46] | |
LIST | Proposed | NASA | Measure surface topography to look for landslide hazard and water runoffs.[46] | |
PATH | Proposed | NASA | Performs high-frequency, all-weather and humidity soundings for weather forecastings.[47] | |
SCLP | Proposed | NASA | Measures snow accumulation for fresh water availability.[48] | |
GACM | Proposed | NASA | Monitors ozone and related gases for intercontinental air quality and stratospheric ozone layer prediction.[49] | |
3D-Winds | Proposed | NASA | Monitor tropospheric winds for weather forecasting and pollution transport.[50] |
Weather observation and forecasting
17 Satellites, 2 in operation
10 Satellites, 5 in operation.[51]
successor to planned National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) program
- Himawari-8[52] (2014)
- Himawari-9[52] (2016)
Historical
- GMS-1 / Himawari-1
- GMS-2 / Himawari-2
- GMS-3 / Himawari-3
- GMS-4 / Himawari-4
- GMS-5 / Himawari-5
- MTSAT-1 (launch failure, 1999)[53]
- MTSAT-1R / Himawari-6[54]
- MTSAT-2 / Himawari-7[55] (Geostationary, 140 East) (backup)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Landsat_Data_Continuity_Mission_Observatory_testing.jpg/220px-Landsat_Data_Continuity_Mission_Observatory_testing.jpg)
- Landsat 1 decommissioned
- Landsat 2 decommissioned
- Landsat 3 decommissioned
- Landsat 4 decommissioned
- Landsat 5 decommissioned
- Landsat 6 Failed to orbit
- Landsat 7 Operating
- Landsat 8 Operating
- Landsat 9 Planned
Misc
Brazilian Space Agency (AEB)
Argentina Space Agency (CONAE)
European Space Agency (ESA)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/ERS_2.jpg/220px-ERS_2.jpg)
- Envisat
- ERS (1 & 2)
- CryoSat-2
- Sentinel 1
- Sentinel 2
- Sentinel 3
- SARAL 25 February 2013[56]
- CARTOSAT 3 27 November 2019
- CARTOSAT-2E 23 June 2017
- RISAT-1 26 April 2012
- RESOURCESAT-2 20 April 2011
- Megha-Tropiques 12 October 2011
- Oceansat-2 23 September 2009
- IMS-1 28 April 2008
- Cartosat-2A 28 April 2008
- CARTOSAT-2 10 January 2007
- IRS P5 (CARTOSAT-1) 5 May 2005
- IRS P6 (Resourcesat 1) 17 October 2003
- IRS-P4 27 May 1999[citation needed]
- IRS-P3 21 March 1996[57]
- IRS-P2 15 October 1994[58]
- IRS P1 (also IE)(Crashed, due to launch failure of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, 20 September 1993)[citation needed]
- IRS-1D 29 September 1997[59]
- IRS-1C 28 December 1995[59]
- IRS-1B 29 August 1991[60]
- IRS-1A 17 March 1988[60]
- MOS-1 (Momo-1)
- MOS-1b (Momo-1b)
- JERS-1 (Fuyo-1)
- ADEOS (Midori)
- ADEOS II (Midori II)
- GOSAT (Ibuki)
- ALOS (Daichi) PALSAR, AVNIR-2 and PRISM
- ALOS-2 (Daichi-2) PALSAR-2
Lembaga Penerbangan dan Antariksa Nasional (LAPAN INDONESIA)
Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC)
- TIMED (Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics)
- TOPEX/Poseidon
- Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite
National Academy of Sciences of Republic of Belarus
Nigeria
- NigeriaSat-1 (2003)
- NigComSat-1 (2007)
- NigeriaSat-2/X (2011)
- Badr-A - July 1990.
- Badr-B - December 2001.
- Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite.[61]
- Pakistan Technology Evaluation Satellite - 1A (PAKTES-1A) - July 2018.[62]
Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)
11 Geostationary Weather Satellites, 5 in operation:
- Meteosat 7[citation needed]
- Meteosat 8[citation needed]
- Meteosat 9[citation needed]
- Meteosat 10[citation needed]
- Meteosat 11[citation needed]
3 Polar Orbiting Weather Satellites, all in operation:
- Metop-A
- Metop-B
- Metop-C
RADARSAT series
South Korea
Thailand
Turkey
- Göktürk-2 (2012) (IMINT), Turkish Armed Forces- Intelligence[63]
- RASAT (2011), Mapping
- BILSAT-1 (2003–2006), was part of Disaster Monitoring Constellation Project
- Göktürk-1 (2013) (IMINT), Turkish Ministry of National Defence- Intelligence
- Göktürk-3- (IMINT), High Resolution Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Earth observation satellite- Turkish Ministry of National Defence- Intelligence
Morocco
Pakistan
Weather
- TIROS-1
- TIROS-2
- TIROS-3[citation needed]
- TIROS-4[citation needed]
- TIROS-5[citation needed]
- TIROS-6[citation needed]
- TIROS-7[citation needed]
- TIROS-8[citation needed]
- TIROS-9[citation needed]
- TIROS-10[citation needed]
- Meteor 1 series[citation needed]
- Meteor 2 series[citation needed]
- Meteor 3 series[citation needed]
FY (Feng Yun) series
- FY-1 series[citation needed]
- FY-2 series[citation needed]
- FY-3A[citation needed]
See also
References
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External links
- Astrium Satellite Imagery
- Commission Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (Argentina Space Agency)
- Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS)
- EOportal directory
- Earth observation satellite list (World Meteorological Organization)
- (Space Images) - Earth mosaics - results of observation satellites activity - without payment