8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
and ignition
and lift-off!
In February of 2013,
NASA launched the 8th satellite in the Landsat program,
continuing an unbroken string of Earth observations
stretching back to 1972.
Since launch, mission operations
have been handled by the U.S. Geological Survey.
After five years in orbit,
Landsat 8 has more than met its mission to collect global data,
giving scientists the ability to assess changes in Earth’s landscape.
Each Landsat satellite has been an improvement
on the previous generation.
Landsat 8’s new design allowed more sensitive measurements,
detected more wavelengths,
and collected more data than ever before.
More observations give scientists more opportunities
to monitor forests around the globe
and track blooms of algae to assess water quality.
For the first time,
Landsat 8 can measure a specific frequency
to detect cirrus clouds
thin, wispy clouds, high in the atmosphere
that can interfere with scientific measurements
enabling scientists to improve the accuracy of their data.
More sensitive detectors can distinguish
subtle changes in vegetation health.
Landsat 8 data is being used
to measure agricultural productivity
and the condition of forests at home and around the globe.
Improved sensitivty in thermal infrared wavelengths
allowed the detection of an ice island
calving off the Larsen C ice shelf
in Antarctica during the otherwise sunless polar winter.
By collecting more data,
and higher-quality data,
Landsat 8 enables scientists
to track the velocity of glaciers
as they speed up and slow down through the year,
providing insights into what is driving changes in the cryosphere.
Engineered with a design life of five years,
Landsat 8 is still going strong,
maintaining the tradition of long operational lifetimes.
And engineers are already building the next satellite
in the Landsat program,
to continue adding more data to the Landsat archive,
available for all to use at no cost.