Month: December 2022

 

SWOT has successfully made contact with ground stations here on Earth and is providing teams with early data on the spacecraft’s health.

A collaboration between NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the UK Space Agency, SWOT will provide high-resolution measurements of the height of water in the world’s ocean and freshwater bodies, providing information on the ocean’s surface topography in great detail and measuring how bodies of water change over time. The instruments on board will provide insight into the ocean’s role in climate change, as well as help communities monitor and plan for changes in water resources and the effects of rising seas.

To stay connected with the mission, visit us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and let others know you’re following it using the hashtag #TrackingWorldWater and tagging these accounts:

Twitter: @NASA, @CNES, @NASAJPL, @NASA_LSP, @NASAKennedy, @NASAEarth, @NASAClimate, @CSA_ASC, @SpaceGovUK, @SLDelta30

Facebook: NASA, CNES, NASA LSP, NASA JPL, NASA Kennedy, NASA Earth, NASA Climate Change, Canadian Space Agency, UK Space Agency

Instagram: NASA, CNES, NASA Kennedy, NASAEarth, NASA JPL, NASA Climate Change, Canadian Space Agency, UK Space Agency

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft has separated from the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage, beginning the first mission dedicated to surveying nearly all water on Earth’s surface.

Teams expect to receive a signal from SWOT in the next 30 minutes – stay with us here on the blog as we’ll confirm when that call comes through.

Watch the spacecraft separate from the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage in the video below:

The Falcon 9’s second stage engine restarted for a short, six-second burn, and we have another successful second engine cutoff. Coming up next, in just under 10 minutes, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite will separate from the rocket.

While we wait for that second stage engine to restart, take a look at a few fun facts about today’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission:

• SWOT is the fourth Launch Services Program (LSP) science mission to launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on a SpaceX Falcon 9
• SWOT is LSP’s 101st primary mission
• SWOT is the third LSP mission to fly a previously flown Falcon 9 booster
• The satellite can see lakes down to 250 meters by 250 meters (approximately 820 feet by 820 feet) – about the size of three New York City blocks
• This will be the sixth overall LSP science mission to fly on a Falcon 9 (previous missions include Jason 3, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite [TESS], Double Asteroid Redirection Test [DART], and Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer [IXPE])
• SWOT will observe the entire length of nearly all rivers wider than 100 meters (330 feet)

Stay with us here on the blog as we take you through some of the last major flight milestones, including spacecraft separation and signal acquisition.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage has successfully landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base’s landing zone 4 in California. Meanwhile, the engine in the Falcon 9’s second stage has cut off.

The rocket’s upper stage and the spacecraft are now in a parking orbit, and in approximately 35 minutes, the engine will restart for a six-second burn.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s nine Merlin engines have finished their burn, and the first stage has separated from the rocket. As the second stage continues carrying the U.S.- and French-led Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite on its journey, the rocket’s first stage will attempt a controlled landing at Vandenberg Space Force Base’s landing zone 4.

Ignition, and liftoff! At 3:46 a.m. PST, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base’s Space Launch Complex-4 East, carrying the first satellite to survey nearly all water on Earth’s surface.

Stay here on the blog as we take you through some key flight milestones, coming up in the next couple of minutes.

NASA Launch Director Tim Dunn has just given the final “go” for launch of the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite!

In the next few moments, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s nine Merlin engines will roar to life, sending SWOT on the start of its journey to survey nearly all water on Earth’s surface.

We are just over 15 minutes away from liftoff of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will carry the Earth water-monitoring satellite to orbit. Weather continues to look good at 100% “go” for launch, and the rocket’s engines are chilling in preparation for launch.

As a reminder, the launch broadcast is airing now on NASA TV and the agency’s website. If teams are not able to launch at 3:46 a.m. PST, there’s an extra opportunity just 10 minutes later at 3:56 a.m. PST. Keep following along here on the blog for updates as we approach liftoff.

Water is an essential part of life on Earth, and now, scientists are using a satellite mission to take a closer look. A joint development between NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the UK Space Agency, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite will survey nearly all water on the Earth’s surface for the first time.

The satellite, about the size of a mid-size SUV, will scan over 90% of the planet’s surface at least once every 21 days as it collects data on Earth’s salt- and freshwater bodies. It will measure the height of water in lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and the ocean, helping researchers track the movement of water around the globe and better understand the role the ocean plays in climate change.

SWOT will also view ocean features in greater detail than ever before, revealing things such as fronts and eddies that are too small for current space-based satellites to detect. This will allow scientists to gather data close to the coast, in turn painting a clearer picture of sea level and how sea surface height interacts with the climate to affect things like storm surges and flooding on the coast.

To learn more about SWOT, visit https://www.nasa.gov/swot.

Stay connected with the mission on social media and let others know you’re following it on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtag #TrackingWorldWater and tagging these accounts:

Twitter: @NASA, @CNES, @NASAJPL, @NASA_LSP, @NASAKennedy, @NASAEarth, @NASAClimate, @CSA_ASC, @SpaceGovUK, @SLDelta30

Facebook: NASA, CNES, NASA LSP, NASA JPL, NASA Kennedy, NASA Earth, NASA Climate Change, Canadian Space Agency, UK Space Agency

Instagram: NASA, CNES, NASA Kennedy, NASAEarth, NASA JPL, NASA Climate Change, Canadian Space Agency, UK Space Agency