Skip Navigation
menu close modal
Resources

Understanding Surface Water Characteristics and Ocean Dynamics

A banner explaining the purpose of the SWOT mission, created and displayed during testing.
Published: October 1, 2008

A banner explaining the purpose of the SWOT mission, created and displayed during testing.

ENLARGE

Related

Artist's impression of the future SWOT satellite making sea surface height observations, even through clouds.
More
Artist's impression of the future SWOT satellite making sea surface height observations, even through clouds.
Artist's Impression of the SWOT Satellite
Mounted above the Payload Module, the Spacecraft Bus is a multi-purpose platform housing many of the electronics required for the observatory to function, including components for power, propulsion...
More
SWOT Spacecraft Bus
SWOT Spacecraft Bus
An early rendering of the SWOT spacecraft (February 2011).
More
An early rendering of the SWOT spacecraft (February 2011).
SWOT Spacecraft (Artist Concept)
SWOT technologies - advanced wide-swath technology, ocean and surface water topography measurements, and high-resolution products - will support such societal needs as dams, shipping, and surface w...
More
SWOT Technologies and Societal Needs
SWOT Technologies and Societal Needs
A photograph of the Varzea Forest area of Brazil (4 of 4).
More
A photograph of the Varzea Forest area of Brazil (4 of 4).
Varzea Forest, Brazil
SWOT Applications Lead, Margaret Srinivasan, helps young visitors match data user types - from coastal safety officers to farmers - with pictures representing SWOT applications.
More
SWOT Matching Card Game
SWOT Matching Card Game
The SWOT Payload module consists of two primary components: the Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) and the Nadir module.
More
SWOT Payload
SWOT Payload
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.
More
A view from inside the plane as the SWOT instrument is being loaded on.
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.
Lake Calado, Amazon
More
Lake Calado, Amazon
Lake Calado, Amazon
Amazon Fishermen
More
Amazon Fishermen
Amazon Fishermen
Siberian Lakes
More
Siberian Lakes
Siberian Lakes
A photograph of the Varzea Forest area of Brazil (1 of 4).
More
A photograph of the Varzea Forest area of Brazil (1 of 4).
Varzea Forest, Brazil
The Canadian Space Agency will contribute to the SWOT Mission by providing a high-power assembly component for SWOT’s Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn).
More
CSA logo
Canadian Space Agency
SWOT will provide NASA’s first global survey of Earth’s surface water.
More
SWOT animated gif
SWOT (Animated Gif)
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...
More
SWOT Science Orbit
SWOT Science Orbit
Arctic Lakes
More
Arctic Lakes
Arctic Lakes
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.
More
graphic of 7 altimeters orbiting Earth
Altimeter Series
A diagram illustrating the swaths of data that SWOT will collect. 
More
A diagram illustrating the swaths of data that SWOT will collect.
Diagram of SWOT Data Collection
Part of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite's science instrument payload sits in a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory during assembly.  
More
SWOT's science instrument payload sitting in a clean room during assembly.
Part of the SWOT satellite's science instrument payload in a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
An artist’s concept of the SWOT spacecraft (January 2012).
More
An artist’s concept of the SWOT spacecraft (January 2012).
SWOT Spacecraft (Artist Concept)
This collaborative mission poster, designed by CNES (French Space Agency), shows the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite soaring over an abstract of a water molecule.
More
This collaborative mission poster, designed by CNES (French Space Agency), shows the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite soaring over an abstract of a water molecule.
Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission Poster
The logo for the Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission.
More
The logo for the Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission.
SWOT Mission Logo
The SWOT satellite observatory is being jointly built by NASA and Centre National D’Études Spatiales (CNES).
More
NASA logo
NASA
SWOT is being jointly developed by NASA and Centre National D’Études Spatiales (CNES).
More
CNES logo
Centre National D'Études Spatiales
An artist’s concept of the SWOT spacecraft (March 2012).
More
An artist’s concept of the SWOT spacecraft (March 2012).
SWOT Spacecraft (Artist Concept)