The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, which is led by NASA and the French space agency CNES, will provide high-definition data on the salt- and fresh water on Earth’s surface. A satellite built to observe nearly all the water on our planet’s surface lifted off on its way to low-E
On Friday, December 16, 2022, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched with the Surface Water and Ocean Topography spacecraft onboard from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
After SWOT separated from the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, ground controllers successfully acquired the satellite’s signal. Initial telemetry reports showed the spacecraft in good health. SWOT will now undergo a series of checks and calibrations before it starts collecting science data in about six months.
This illustration depicts the Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite, a mission led by NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales . The scientific heart of the SWOT satellite is the Ka-band Radar Interferometer instrument, which will measure the height of water in Earth’s lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and ocean.
Along the coast, SWOT will provide information on sea level, filling in observational gaps in areas that don’t have tide gauges or other instruments that measure sea surface height. Over time, that data can help researchers better track sea level rise, which will directly impact communities and coastal ecosystems.
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