NASA’s SWOT mission, first global survey of Earth’s surface water, now launching in December

NASA is now targeting Monday, December 5, for the launch of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission – the first global survey of Earth’s surface water.

The mission was earlier scheduled to launch in November 2022. The launch date was shifted to complete all the necessary tasks in the lead-up to launch, including transporting the satellite from Cannes, France, to Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, NASA said.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the SWOT satellite from Space Launch Complex-4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022.

Our launch date is set! ? @NASA‘s Surface Water Ocean Topography mission, or SWOT, will provide the first global survey of Earth’s surface water. It’s scheduled for launch on December 5, 2022. #TrackingWorldWater pic.twitter.com/DVliZmuFxu

— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) August 25, 2022

A collaboration between NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatial (CNES), SWOT will make measurements of over 95% of Earth’s lakes, rivers, and reservoirs to help provide a better understanding of Earth’s water cycle, it will both aid in better management of water resources and expand knowledge of how climate change affects lakes, rivers, and reservoirs.

Once in orbit, the cutting-edge satellite will be sending back about one terabyte of unprocessed data a day, according to NASA. SWOT will use a new instrument called the Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn), which bounces radar pulses off the water’s surface and receives the return signal with two antennas at the same time, to provide the data.