World

SWOT Rises Like Water Vapor: NASA

SWOT successfully lifted off on 16 December 2022, at 5:16 pm Friday IST. The rocket’s payload incorporates advanced microwave radar technology to collect high-definition measurements of water bodies.

It’s the first satellite mission that will observe nearly all water on Earth’s surface. NASA tweeted through its Twitter handle,”We’re ready to start #TrackingWorldWater with the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite.”

The weather forecast was favorable for the launch.  NASA’s launch services team was able to manage the weather conditions for the mission. However, the launch was delayed by a day after technicians detected traces of moisture in two of the rocket’s engines.

Know more

Falcon 9 launches the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission to orbit. It’s upper stage, carrying the satellite, reached orbit within nine minutes. Moments earlier, the reusable lower stage separated from the rocket and flew itself back to Earth, unleashing sonic booms before slowing to a gentle landing at the base.

Deployment of SWOT confirmed at 6:40pm IST. First stage booster returns to Earth at 8:30pm IST. The mission’s payload has released to its own starting orbit. Orbit is about 530 miles (850 km) above the planet. It took less than a hour to reach there after launch. Video from a camera mounted on the rocket’s upper stage showed SWOT floating away.

The mission control for the French space agency CNES in Toulouse reported it had recovered the first full set of signals from the satellite, within half an hour. It confirms that SWOT’s systems were operational, NASA said.

The Falcon 9 booster owned and operated by Elon Musk’s commercial rocket company lit up the predawn sky along California’s coast as it roared off its launch pad at the Vandenberg US Space Force Base, about 160 miles (260 km) northwest of Los Angeles.

Also read: SWOT: NASA To Launch

SWOT is to precisely measure fine differences in surface elevations around smaller currents and eddies. SWOT can do so with 10 times greater resolution than existing technologies, according to JPL.

The centerpiece of the satellite is advanced microwave radar technology to collect high-definition measurements of oceans, lakes, reservoirs and rivers over 90% of the globe.

Researchers say,” The data will get compiled from radar sweeps at least twice every 21 days. It will be used to enhance ocean-circulation models, bolster weather and climate forecasts and aid in managing freshwater supplies in drought-stricken regions.”

 

 

Spriha Rai

Recent Posts

How To Read Food Labels & Make Smarter Grocery Choices

Reading food labels helps you make informed, healthier choices by understanding nutrition facts & picking…

20 mins ago

JP Nadda Slams Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Match-Fixing’ Claims As ‘Desperation Of Losing’ Polls

Rahul Gandhi's opinion piece appeared in a national daily and sparked political uproar. Opposition parties…

13 hours ago

Poverty In India Reduced Via Tangible Boost In Household Living Standards, Incomes

In 2022–23, poverty under the revised $3.00 line stood at just 5.25 per cent in…

13 hours ago

Chhattisgarh: Seven Maoists Killed In Indravati National Park Operation

Five Maoists were killed in two separate encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district,…

14 hours ago

Carney Invites Modi To G7 Summit, Highlights India’s Global Supply Chain Role

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the most populous country, with the fifth-largest economy, must…

14 hours ago

RBI Frontloads Rate Cuts To Boost Growth Amid Low Inflation: Crisil

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has frontloaded its rate cuts to support economic growth,…

14 hours ago