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The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, the first of its kind, is set to revolutionize the way we study Earth’s water bodies. The satellite has now arrived at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for final preparations before its launch in December.

SWOT’s primary goal is to observe water on Earth’s surface, from the oceans to lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. Equipped with advanced instruments, it will measure the height of water in these bodies and provide unprecedented clarity. Notably, SWOT can detect ocean features as small as 60 miles across, rivers wider than 330 feet, and lakes and reservoirs larger than 15 acres.

The scientific payload of SWOT, developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, was integrated with the satellite bus in France by an international team. Following its arrival in California, SWOT will undergo extensive preparations, including encapsulation in a protective payload fairing and transport to the launch pad.

Once in orbit, SWOT will collect vital data on seawater, shedding light on its absorption of atmospheric heat and carbon. This process has significant implications for global temperatures and climate change. SWOT’s observations will also help in understanding coastal sea levels and their interaction with a changing climate, influencing phenomena like storm surges.

Moreover, SWOT will provide a comprehensive global survey of freshwater lakes, rivers, and reservoirs from space. By monitoring changes in water volume over time, researchers and water resource managers will gain insight into water flow dynamics into and out of Earth’s freshwater bodies.

The SWOT mission is a collaboration between NASA and the French space agency CNES, with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency and the UK Space Agency. The launch service is managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center.

In summary, SWOT is poised to enhance our understanding of Earth’s water systems like never before. Its observations will contribute to climate research, coastal monitoring, and water resource management on a global scale.

The post The SWOT Satellite: Advancing Earth’s Water Observation appeared first on ISP Today.