LOS ANGELES, Dec. 14 (BNA): An international satellite mission led by NASA is set to lift off from Southern California early Thursday on a major Earth science project to comprehensively survey the world’s oceans, lakes and rivers for the first time. Reuters reported.
The advanced radar satellite, called SWOT, is designed to give scientists an unprecedented view of the life-giving fluid that covers 70 percent of the planet, shedding new light on the mechanics and consequences of climate change. He went on to explain.
The Falcon 9 rocket, owned and operated by billionaire Elon Musk’s commercial space company SpaceX, was scheduled to launch before dawn on Thursday from the US Space Force’s Vandenberg Base, about 275 kilometers northwest of Los Angeles, to carry SWOT into orbit.
If all goes as planned, the SUV-sized satellite will be producing research data within several months.
Nearly 20 years in development, SWOT incorporates advanced microwave radar technology that scientists say will collect surface height measurements of oceans, lakes, reservoirs and rivers in high-resolution detail in more than 90 percent of the globe.
The data, collected from radar surveys of the planet at least twice every 21 days, will enhance ocean circulation models, support weather and climate projections, and help manage scarce freshwater supplies in drought-stricken regions, according to the researchers.
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