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California Institute of Technology
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NASA's Blue Marble
Published:
May 5, 2014
NASA’s Blue Marble
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SWOT is being jointly developed by NASA and Centre National D’Études Spatiales (CNES).
Centre National D'Études Spatiales
A photograph of the Varzea Forest area of Brazil (2 of 4).
Varzea Forest, Brazil
An alternate logo for the Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission.
SWOT Mission Logo with Full Text
Engineers integrate separate parts of the SWOT satellite into one in a Thales Alenia Space clean room facility in Cannes, France.
Part of the SWOT satellite's science instrument payload in a clean room at a Thales facility.
SWOT Applications Lead, Margaret Srinivasan, helps young visitors match data user types - from coastal safety officers to farmers - with pictures representing SWOT applications.
SWOT Matching Card Game
Alaska lakes.
Alaska Lakes
SWOT's nominal coverage during its 3-year science orbit will include measurements between 78°N and 78°S collected over a period of 21 days. Maps show the coverage after 3 days (left) and the full 2...
SWOT Science Orbit
Amazon Fishermen
Amazon Fishermen
Lake Calado, Amazon
Lake Calado, Amazon
A view of SWOT from inside a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft, as it was being loaded en route to Thales Alenia Space near Cannes, France.
A view of SWOT as it was being loaded into a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft en route to Thales Alenia Space near Cannes, France.
Artist’s concept of seven altimeters orbiting Earth: Jason-CS/Sentinel-6B, SWOT, Sentinel-6A, Jason 3, TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason 1 and OSTM/Jason 2.
Altimeter Series
AirSWOT plays a key role in SWOT mission development. It allows scientists to study interferometric data before launch and thus be prepared to effectively interpret SWOT data after launch.
AirSWOT Platform
An image of the original concept for the Water and Terrestrial Elevation Recovery (WATER) Mission, which later became SWOT.
WATER Mission Concept Illustration
Floodplain Channel in the Amazon
Floodplain Channel in the Amazon
Arctic Lakes
Arctic Lakes
Disappearing lakes in Barrow, Alaska.
Disappearing Lakes in Barrow, Alaska
The SWOT satellite observatory is being jointly built by NASA and Centre National D’Études Spatiales (CNES).
NASA
A photograph of the Varzea Forest area of Brazil (3 of 4).
Varzea Forest, Brazil
NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, California, to provide launch services for SWOT.
SpaceX Launch Vehicle
An early rendering of the SWOT spacecraft (February 2011).
SWOT Spacecraft (Artist Concept)
The first 90 days of the SWOT science mission will be flown in a "fast-sampling" phase that revisits specific areas once per day. This phase will begin after a 90-day commissioning phase for engine...
SWOT 1-Day Repeat Orbit
SWOT will provide NASA’s first global survey of Earth’s surface water.
SWOT (Animated Gif)
This animation shows estimates of average sea ice freeboard — or the amount of ice above the waterline — taken over a 21-day period from Aug. 8, 2023, to Jan. 14, 2024, by the Surface Water and Oce...
SWOT cryosphere animation: sea ice freeboard
This image shows sea surface heights off the northern California coast in August 2023 as measured by the SWOT satellite.
SWOT Monitors Warming Waters Off California Coast
Canada is home to more than 30,000 lakes including these water bodies in Northern Alberta. The abundance of surface freshwater in Canada makes it a prime target for AirSWOT investigations.
Northern Alberta Lakes, Canada