A New Satellite Mission Will Map Nearly All of Earth's Surface Water

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission is preparing for its inaugural launch. This collaborative effort aims to provide unprecedented data on the height of water across our planet's oceans, lakes, and rivers, offering a comprehensive view of Earth's water cycle.

The SWOT mission represents a major international partnership between NASA and the French space agency, CNES, with additional support from the Canadian and UK space agencies. By measuring water levels in reservoirs, rivers, lakes, and the global ocean, the mission seeks to observe nearly all surface water on Earth for the first time.

Scheduled for a December 12, 2022, launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, the project involves a team of experts from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and international partners. The mission aims to provide critical insights into how water moves and changes across the globe.

Source: Ready for Launch: SWOT Satellite Will Track Earth’s Water (Live Briefing)