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

Engineers integrate separate parts of the SWOT satellite into one in a Thales Alenia Space clean room facility in Cannes, France.
More
A Photo from a high vantage point showing parts of the SWOT satellite being integrated in a clean room in France
Part of the SWOT satellite's science instrument payload in a clean room at a Thales facility.
Arctic Lakes
More
Arctic Lakes
Arctic Lakes
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.
AirSWOT is using parts of Saskatchewan as a testing ground for mapping water levels.
More
The Saskatchewan River and Prairie Potholes
The Saskatchewan River and Prairie Potholes
SWOT is being jointly developed by NASA and Centre National D’Études Spatiales (CNES).
More
CNES logo
Centre National D'Études Spatiales
NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, California, to provide launch services for SWOT.
More
SpaceX Launch Vehicle
SpaceX Launch Vehicle
The logo for the Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission.
More
The logo for the Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission.
SWOT Mission Logo
Siberian Lakes
More
Siberian Lakes
Siberian Lakes
Pictured are team members who helped load the hardware for the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite's research instruments onto a C-17 airplane pose for a picture. The payload left M...
More
A photo of SWOT team members who helped load the mission's instruments in a plane, holding up a NASA flag.
Team members who helped load the hardware onto a C-17 aircraft for SWOT's transfer from Southern, Calif. to Cannes France.
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 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
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 artist’s concept of the SWOT spacecraft (February 2015).
More
An artist’s concept of the SWOT spacecraft.
SWOT Spacecraft (Artist Concept)
Lake Calado, Amazon
More
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.
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.
Alaska lakes.
More
Alaska lakes
Alaska Lakes
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.
More
Northern Alberta Lakes, Canada
Northern Alberta Lakes, Canada
SWOT will provide NASA’s first global survey of Earth’s surface water.
More
SWOT animated gif
SWOT (Animated Gif)
NASA’s Blue Marble
More
NASA’s Blue Marble
NASA's Blue Marble
Arctic
More
Arctic
Arctic
A photograph of the Varzea Forest area of Brazil (3 of 4).
More
A photograph of the Varzea Forest area of Brazil (3 of 4).
Varzea Forest, Brazil
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
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)
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
Disappearing lakes in Barrow, Alaska.
More
Disappearing lakes in Barrow, Alaska.
Disappearing Lakes in Barrow, Alaska