Eric J. Lindstrom28 February 2008

NASA/US Ocean Satellite Missions

2

OUTLINE

• NASA operating missions (13, 6 ocean)

• NASA missions in implementation and formulation to launch 2008-2015

(9, 4 ocean)

• NASA missions beyond 2015 (11, 5 ocean)

• Challenges/Assessment - Transitions to Operations

3

NASA Ocean Missions

SeaWiFSSSM/ISARs (variety)AVHRRMetop (OVSW)Color (MERIS)

4

Missions in Development (launch by 2015)

OSTM6/2008

OCO12/2008

GLORY2/2009

NPP9/2009

AQUARIUS5/2010

LDCM7/2011

GPM6/2013, 6/2014

ICESAT-22015SMAP 2012

5

Decadal Survey Mission Mission Description Orbit InstrumentsHyspIRI Land surface composition for

agriculture and mineral characterization; vegetation types for ecosystem health

LEO, SSO Hyperspectral spectrometer

ASCENDS Day/night, all-latitude, all-season CO2 column integrals for climate emissions

LEO, SSO Multifrequency laser

SWOT Ocean, lake, and river water levels for ocean and inland water dynamics

LEO, SSO Ka-band wide swath radarC-band radar

GEO-CAPE

Atmospheric gas columns for air quality forecasts; ocean color for coastal ecosystem health and climate emissions

GEO High and low spatial resolution hyperspectral imagers

ACE Aerosol and cloud profiles for climate and water cycle; ocean color for open ocean biogeochemistry

LEO, SSO Backscatter lidarMultiangle polarimeterDoppler radar

NASA Mid-Term Missions (5/15 total)

6

*Cloud-independent, high temporal resolution, lower accuracy SST to complement, not replace, global operational high-accuracy SST measurement

Decadal Survey Mission Mission Description Orbit InstrumentsLIST Land surface topography for

landslide hazards and water runoffLEO, SSO Laser altimeter

PATH High frequency, all-weather temperature and humidity soundings for weather forecasting and SST*

GEO MW array spectrometer

GRACE-II High temporal resolution gravity fields for tracking large-scale water movement

LEO, SSO Microwave or laser ranging system

SCLP Snow accumulation for fresh water availability

LEO, SSO Ku and X-band radarsK and Ka-band radiometers

GACM Ozone and related gases for intercontinental air quality and stratospheric ozone layer prediction

LEO, SSO UV spectrometerIR spectrometerMicrowave limb sounder

3D-Winds(Demo)

Tropospheric winds for weather forecasting and pollution transport

LEO, SSO Doppler lidar

NASA Far-Term Missions (6/15 total)

7

CHALLENGES AND ASSESSMENTS

• In some sense ocean measurements from space are “overdue” for transition from research to operations.

Summarizing the near future “infrastructure” for ocean remote sensing:

• Ocean color - transition not secure due to technical problems on NPP/VIIRS instrument

• Sea Surface Temperature - transition secure with NPP, NPOESS and foreign partners

• Ocean Vector Winds - transition not secure (Quikscat 9 years on orbit!)

• Ocean Surface Topography (sea level) - transition nearly made. National need to “seal the deal” with implementation of Jason-3 in FY10.

• WE HAVE MADE MUCH PROGRESS, BUT WE RISK LOSING CRITICAL CAPABILITIES.