Sensors, Systems, and Next-Generation Satellites

Many new remote sensing programs are under way throughout the world, in the U.S., Europe Japan, and elsewhere. NASA's Earth Science Division is developing and implementing a broad range of Earth spaceborne remote sensing missions to answer fundamental scientific questions requiring the view from space and to meet societal needs. These include the Decadal Survey, Earth Venture, and Climate Continuity series of satellites as well as the Landsat program, selected climate measurements transferred from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) responsibility, and a number of Earth observing instruments mounted on the International Space Station (ISS). The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is developing and implementing the ALOS, GOSAT, GCOM, GPM/DPR, and EarthCare series of programmes. The European Space Agency (ESA) is developing and implementing the METOP, METEOSAT, Copernicus, and Earth Explorer programs. A number of new remote sensing programmes are also under development by other organisations and nations for research and operational use. Many of the above are contributing to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) as envisioned by the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO). Each of these programs comprises a set of remote sensing systems to address their science and applications objectives.