Latest Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity satellite Stories
The European Space Agency says its next Earth Explorer satellite is ready to be moved to the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia for its Sept. 9 launch. The satellite, called SMOS -- Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity-- will make global observations of soil moisture over Earth's landmasses and salinity over the oceans. It has been in storage at Thales Alenia Space's facilities in Cannes, France, awaiting completion of the ESA's Flight Acceptance Review -- a formal procedure that ensures all...
ESA's next Earth Explorer, SMOS, has just passed the all-important Flight Acceptance Review, signifying that all the elements that make up the mission are in place for launch later this year. The satellite can now be prepared for its journey to the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia.The Flight Acceptance Review is a formal procedure to ensure that all the mission elements are in order and ready for launch. These elements not only include the satellite, but also the readiness of the...
Following confirmation from Eurockot Launch Services that they will launch ESA's SMOS mission on September 9Â this year, the satellite has just been taken out of storage "“ providing an opportunity for the media to view the satellite before it is prepared for shipment to the launch site in Russia.The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission is the next Earth Explorer in line for liftoff after the successful launch of the Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer...
ESA is about to launch the most sophisticated of Earth Observation satellites to investigate the Earth's gravitational field with unprecedented resolution and accuracy. GOCE data will be crucial for obtaining accurate measurements of ocean circulation and sea-level change, both of which are affected by climate change. The data will help to better understand processes occurring inside the Earth which are linked to volcanoes and earthquakes.The "Gravity field and steady-state Ocean...
Following word from Eurockot that launch of the Earth Explorer SMOS satellite can take place between July and October this year, ESA, CNES and the prime contractor Thales Alenia Space are now making detailed preparations for the last crucial steps before ESA's water mission is placed in orbit.The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite has been in storage at Thales Alenia Space's facilities in Cannes, France since May last year awaiting for a third stage of the Rockot launcher to be...
With three Earth Explorer satellites set to launch this year, another three under construction and up to three more about to be selected for feasibility study, 2009 promises to be a significant year for ESA's contribution to Earth science "“ paving the way to a clearer understanding of how our planet works. Understanding how the Earth works and the way in which natural processes respond to global climate change is a major challenge facing science today. Encompassing a new approach to...
The European Space Agency is about to launch the most sophisticated mission ever to investigate the Earth's gravitational field and to map the reference shape of our planet "“ the geoid - with unprecedented resolution and accuracy. The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) will be placed onto a low altitude near sun-synchronous orbit by a Russian Rockot vehicle launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Northern Russia, some 800 km north of Moscow. Lift-off is...
Europeans want to peek into their soil and see how dry they are. And an Iowa State University professor is eager to help, and even check their results.The European Space Agency (ESA) is set to launch the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite this fall as researchers try to learn more about the amount of moisture in the ground in the United States and around the world.ISU's Brian Hornbuckle is helping them. For the past year, Hornbuckle has led a team of investigators from ISU, the...
