The European Space Agency’s (ESA) soil moisture and ocean salinity (SMOS) satellite has entered its operational life after completing the commissioning stage.
Launched in November 2009, the SMOS satellite has been undergoing an intense calibration and commissioning programme.
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
SMOS is one of ESA’s three earth explorer satellites placed in orbit during the last 12 months including the GOCE gravity mission and the CryoSat ice mission.
The satellite will use a new interferometric radiometer operating in the L-band microwave range to capture brightness temperature images.
These images will produce global maps of soil moisture every three days and maps of ocean salinity over 30 days.
By mapping these two variables, SMOS will advance knowledge of the exchange processes between the Earth’s surface and atmosphere and aid in improving weather and climate models.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataThe data will also be used for practical applications in areas such as agriculture and water resource management.
