The international Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission, known as SWOT, lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County at 3:46 a.m. PT on Friday. The first stage of the rocket successfully landed back on earth at 3:54 a.m. PT.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches with the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft on Dec. 16, 2022, from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
NASA/KEEGAN BARBER VIA GETTY IMAGES
The mission, a joint effort between NASA and the French space agency Centre National d'Études Spatiales, will survey water on more than 90 percent of the world's surface and measure the height of water in freshwater bodies as well as the oceans. The two agencies have collaborated for decades to monitor Earth's oceans and SWOT is the next step in their partnership.
The insights from SWOT's measurements will show how oceans influence climate change as well as how global warming impacts lakes, rivers and reservoirs. The satellite's data can also help communities better prepare for flooding and other water-related disasters, which are increasing due to the climate crisis.
While water is critical for the survival of life on Earth, it also shapes our weather and climate as it stores and moves carbon and heat trapped in the atmosphere by greenhouse gas emissions. Surveying this resource can help scientists understand the global water budget — assessing main sources, how these sources are changing and the impacts that will have on different environments.
Full Story: https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/ne ... ter-earth/
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