The Landsat 9 satellite, which monitors the earth surface, launches in California
The Landsat 9 satellite, which monitors the earth's surface, launches in California
The most recent in a long line of U.S. satellites that have been recording human and natural impacts on the Earth's surface for decades was launched into orbit from California on Monday, ensuring that observations can continue in the face of global climate change.
In the early hours of the morning, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifted off from a foggy Vandenberg Space Force Base and carried Landsat 9 into orbit. A little more than an hour later, the satellite was successfully separated from the rocket's upper stage.
It will work in conjunction with its predecessor, Landsat 8, to extend a nearly 50-year record of land and coastal region observations that began with the launch of the first Landsat satellite in 1972. Landsat 9 is a joint project of NASA and the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Taking over the orbital path of Landsat 7, which will be decommissioned, Landsat 9 will be launched in 2018.
Landsat 9 is equipped with an imaging sensor that will capture images in the visible and other parts of the spectrum. It also has a thermal sensor, which measures the temperature of the surface.
According to NASA, the Landsat program has captured changes in the planet's landscape ranging from the growth of cities to the movement of glaciers for more than 30 years, making it the longest continuous record of Earth observation from space.
Deputy Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, who attended the launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base, said the Landsat program provides "a rich form of data" that is useful in people's everyday lives and is essential in combating climate change.
According to Haaland, "We're in the midst of a climate crisis right now, and we see it every day — drought, wildfires, hurricanes like Hurricane Ida that devastated parts of the southern United States and made its way up to New England," he said in an interview with NASA TV.
Images such as those that Landsat 9 will return to us will be extremely useful in guiding our approach to climate change. "Working to make sure that we can make the best decisions possible, so that people have access to water in the future, and so that we can grow our food in the future," Haaland explained.
According to Jeff Masek, Landsat 9 project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, the Landsat program has amassed more than 9 million multispectral images of the Earth's land and coastal regions since its inception in 1972.
Prelaunch briefing: "By using this record, we will be able to document and understand the changes that have occurred to the land environment over this period as a result of human activities and natural disasters," said the director general at a prelaunch briefing.
Earth's resources can be better understood and managed thanks to the information provided by spacecraft.
In addition to understanding rates of tropical deforestation, "Landsat provides us with the best source for understanding other forest dynamics, such as those caused by hurricanes, wildfires, insect outbreaks, and how forests recover from those disturbances over time," Masek said.
In addition, he stated, Landsat is essential for monitoring agriculture and food security.
According to him, "we can pinpoint the types of crops that are growing on every field in the United States and around the world." "We can also take a look at the amount of water that crops consume."
The launch of Landsat 9 marked the 2,000th launch from Vandenberg Space Center since 1958. As a result of its location on the Pacific coast northwest of Los Angeles, it is an ideal location for ballistic missile testing as well as putting satellites into polar orbit.
