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NASA set to launch first global water survey satellite
Why in the News
In News
- Recently, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched with the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft.
About the Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite (SWOT):
- Launched by: NASA
- Launching vehicle: Falcon 9 rocket of SpaceX
- Launching site: Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
- Satellite built by: NASA and French space agency CNES
- The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the UK Space Agency have also contributed to the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission.
- With a three-year primary mission, the goal is to observe almost all of the water on the surface of our planet.
- On more than 90% of the surface of the Earth, the satellite will measure the height of water in freshwater bodies of water and the ocean.
- This knowledge will help people understand how the ocean affects climate change, how rising waters affect lakes, rivers, and reservoirs, and how to properly prepare communities for calamities like floods.
Features of the satellite:
- Researchers, decision-makers, and managers of resources would all benefit from using SWOT analysis to better assess and plan for various situations, such as droughts and floods. Researchers can enhance flood estimates for rivers and track the effects of drought on lakes and reservoirs by providing information on where the water is, where it’s coming from, and where it’s going.
- At least once every 21 days, SWOT will traverse the whole Earth’s surface between 78 degrees south and 78 degrees north latitude, returning around one terabyte of raw data per day.
- Given the serious issues posed by climate change and sea level rise, SWOT will provide crucial information. The scientific core of the spacecraft is an unique instrument called the Ka-band radar interferometer (KaRIn), which represents a significant technological advancement.
- SWOT mission will provide data on more than 95% of the world’s lakes larger than 15 acres (62,500 square meters) and rivers wider than 330 feet (100 meters) across.
