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CNES - First SWOT Images Video Gallery

Published: October 4, 2023

This video gallery produced by CNES highlights some of the first images from the SWOT mission, from sea ice extent to coastal sea height to river and lake measurements around the globe.

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SWOT will collect data across a 120 km wide swath, with a gap in the center for an altimetry track.
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This animation shows the collection of data over the state of Florida, which is rich with rivers, lakes and wetlands.
SWOT Data Collection Over Florida
Tahani Amer oversees several Earth science missions for NASA, including the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, a mission led by NASA and the French space agency Cent...
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A video introducing Tahani Amer and chatting with her about her work on SWOT.
Mission Makers: Tahani Amer, NASA Program Executive for the SWOT Water-Tracking Mission
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite deployed its solar arrays while in Earth orbit.
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A sped-up video showing the deployment of SWOT's solar panel array.
SWOT Deploys Solar Arrays
Meet some of the scientists and engineers contributing to a new Earth science mission, led by NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES). The Surface Water and Ocean...
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A teaser trailer going over an introduction to several of the engineers and scientists behind the building of SWOT
Mission Makers: The Team Behind the SWOT Water-Tracking Mission (Teaser Trailer)
Marc Simard is part of the science team behind the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, led by NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES)...
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An interview with Marc Simard about his part in the SWOT mission.
Mission Makers: Marc Simard, Scientist on the SWOT Water-Tracking Mission
SWOT will include a Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) that will send and receive radar pulses to antennas mounted on booms attached to the spacecraft.
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This animation shows the various stages of boom deployment for the interferometer antennas.
Deployment of Interferometer Antennas
Source: To become operational in orbit, SWOT will need to deploy components that were stored for the launch and orbit insertion process. After the solar panels have been extended, the booms and ant...
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An artist's rendition showing how the instrument on SWOT will deploy.
SWOT Interferometer Deployment
An animation of the streams, tributaries and rivers that make up the Mississippi watershed.
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An animation of the streams, tributaries and rivers that make up the Mississippi watershed.
The Rivers of the Mississippi Watershed
Earth’s 370 quintillion gallons of water can be found all over the planet in lakes, rivers, glaciers, oceans, and groundwater. However, only a tiny fraction of this water is usable by humans. Under...
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An animated video teaching about Earth's water budget.
Earth's Water Budget
A short demonstration of internal waves using a tank filled with mineral oil and water.
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Video of Internal Wave Tank Demonstration
Internal Wave Tank Demonstration
Using the vehicle of multi-media entertainment and a real-life scenario, Dr. Faisal Hossain, a member of the SWOT Science Definition Team, and a Fulbright Scholar has experimented with an alternati...
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Video of Dr. Faisal Hossain
Rising Tide
Where There's Water...There's SWOT provides an overview of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, which will make the first global survey of Earth's surface water.
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Animated scenes showing SWOT in orbit
Where There's Water...There's SWOT
Watch with NASA as we launch an international mission to understand the Earth's water like never before.  
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The broadcast that was shown during SWOT's launch.
Launch of the International SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) Mission (NASA Broadcast)
NASA and CNES (French Space Agency) are collaborating to make the first global survey of Earth's surface fresh water and study fine-scale ocean currents with a new mission called SWOT, or Surface W...
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A mission overview of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, using animations and artist renderings of how the mission will collect data.
SWOT: NASA-CNES Satellite to Survey the World's Water (Mission Overview)
The SWOT satellite will survey rivers wider than 100 m (328 ft). Three products will be delivered to users. They will only be generated for rivers recorded in an existing database and will cover re...
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Video of SWOT River Products
SWOT River Products
The water cycle is how atmosphere, land and ocean processes interact with each other.
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Video of Altimetry and the Water Cycle
Altimetry and the Water Cycle
The SWOT satellite is set to survey the height, area and changes in volume over time in lakes with a surface area of 6 hectares (15 acres) or more (i.e., an outline of 250 m by 250 m or 820 ft by 8...
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Video of SWOT - The Lake Surveyor
SWOT - The Lake Surveyor
Christine Gebara is part of the team building the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, a mission led by NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spati...
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An interview with Christine Gebara on her part in the SWOT mission.
Mission Makers: Christine Gebara, Engineer on the SWOT Water-Tracking Mission
Coastal areas are subjected to erosion from waves breaking on shore and storms. Satellite altimetry from the Jason series can provide information on sea level rise, which can be used in planning be...
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Video of Altimetry and the Coasts
Altimetry and the Coasts
This animation features the fully deployed SWOT satellite over Earth.
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This animation features the fully deployed SWOT satellite over Earth.
SWOT Global Coverage
An overview of SWOT's first data with mission engineer Curtis Chen
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An overview of SWOT's first data with mission engineer Curtis Chen
First SWOT data with engineer, Curtis Chen
The SWOT satellite's research instruments and components packaged and ready for transport to Thales Alenia Space near Cannes, France. Traveling from March Air Force Base in Riverside County, Califo...
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A time-lapse video showing the process of loading the SWOT scientific payload onto the plane that would take it to France.
The SWOT satellite packaged and ready for transport to Thales Alenia Space near Cannes, France.
This visualization shows the progression of improved data resolution from satellite altimeters in the past, present, and future.
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This visualization shows the progression of improved data resolution from satellite altimeters in the past, present, and future
Altimetry: Past, Present and Future
To become operational in orbit, SWOT will need to deploy components that were stored for the launch and orbit insertion process. First, the solar panels will deploy to power the spacecraft. This an...
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An animation or how SWOT's solar panels will deploy once in orbit.
SWOT Solar Panel Deployment
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission (SWOT) will help scientists monitor Earth’s ocean, as well as the amount of freshwater in its lakes and rivers when it launches in late 2022. After e...
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A video introducing and discussing the SWOT mission, with visuals showing the mission being built in JPL's clean room.
Water-Monitoring Satellite Moves Closer to Launch