A SWOT satellite was sent with it. It is a joint development between NASA, CNES, CSA and UKSA.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket was sent into orbit on Friday, December 16 with the SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) satellite. The latter is intended for sounding the Earth’s water surface. This was reported by NASA.
The launch took place from the SLC-4E launch complex at the US Space Force Vandenberg Base in California at 06:46 ET (13:46 Kyiv time).
In the future, the device will be launched into a low Earth orbit at an altitude of 890 km.
It was noted that within the framework of the SWOT mission, for the first time on a global scale, high-resolution data will be collected on temporal changes in the parameters of oceans, lakes, rivers and other water resources.
Also, the device will analyze the smallest details of the topography of water bodies and oceans, and also measure their changes.
The satellite is equipped with a synthetic aperture radar. So he can monitor the global water level in the world’s oceans, ocean currents and how they change as a result of climate change, and observe the processes in rivers and lakes that occur as a result of human activity .
“With the help of the satellite, it will be possible to explore about 90% of the Earth’s surface, study lakes, rivers, reservoirs and oceans. The data will help manage freshwater resources around the world and improve ocean circulation models. , weather forecasts and climate change. The total launch cost of a SWOT mission estimated at approximately $112 million, including launch service, pre-launch operations, payload integration, data tracking and telemetry support,” the agency said.
Recall that earlier, as part of the School Space Experiments Program (SSEP), the American SpaceX Dragon spacecraft sent mini-laboratories of Ukrainian schoolchildren to the ISS.
SpaceX releases video of Falcon 9 launch
news Correspondent.net on Telegram. Subscribe to our channel Athletistic
Source: korrespondent
I am Ben Stock, a passionate and experienced digital journalist working in the news industry. At the Buna Times, I write articles covering technology developments and related topics. I strive to provide reliable information that my readers can trust. My research skills are top-notch, as well as my ability to craft engaging stories on timely topics with clarity and accuracy.