LOS ANGELES: The latest in a series of US satellites that have been recording human and natural impacts on Earth’s surface for decades was launched into orbit from California on Monday to ensure continuous observations in an era of climate change.
Landsat 9 was carried into space aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, which lifted off from the foggy Vandenberg Space Force Base at 11:12 a.m. The satellite was expected to detach from the rocket’s upper stage by noon.
a project of NASA And this US Geological SurveyLandsat 9 will work in conjunction with a predecessor, Landsat 8, expanding the nearly 50-year record of land and coastal region observations that began with the launch of the first Landsat in 1972.
Landsat 9 will take on the orbital track of Landsat 7, which will be closed.
Landsat 9 has an imaging sensor that will record the visible and other parts of the spectrum. It also has a thermal sensor to measure surface temperature.
Capturing changes in the planet’s landscape from the growth of cities to the movement of glaciers, the Landsat program is the longest continuous record of Earth observation from space, according to NASA.
interior secretary deb hallandVandenberg, who went to see the launch, said the Landsat program provides “a richer form of data” that helps people in their daily lives and is critical in tackling climate change.
“We are in the grip of a climate crisis right now, we see that every day – droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, Hurricane Ida that devastated parts of the South and up to New England,” Holland said in a NASA interview. Said during TV interview.
“Images like the one that Landsat 9 will bring back to us will go a long way in guiding us about climate change, working to make sure we make the best decisions, that people have water in the future, that we can eat our food.” may develop in the future,” said Hollande.
The Landsat program has collected more than 9 million multispectral images of Earth’s land and coastlines, according to Jeff Masecki, Landsat 9 project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
“Using this record we can really document and understand the changes in the land environment over this period from human activities as well as natural events,” he told a prelaunch briefing.
Information has a wide range of uses in understanding and managing the Earth’s resources.
“Landsat is our best source for understanding tropical deforestation rates … as well as other forest dynamics such as storms, wildfires, pest outbreaks, as well as the recovery of those disturbances over time,” Masek said. .
He added that Landsat is also important for monitoring agriculture and food security.
“We can pinpoint the types of crops that grow in every region in the US and around the world,” he said. “We can also look at water consumption by crops.”
Landsat 9’s liftoff was the 2,000th launch from Vandenberg since 1958. Located on the Pacific Coast northwest of Los Angeles, its position is ideal for testing ballistic missiles and placing satellites into polar orbit.
Landsat 9 was carried into space aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, which lifted off from the foggy Vandenberg Space Force Base at 11:12 a.m. The satellite was expected to detach from the rocket’s upper stage by noon.
a project of NASA And this US Geological SurveyLandsat 9 will work in conjunction with a predecessor, Landsat 8, expanding the nearly 50-year record of land and coastal region observations that began with the launch of the first Landsat in 1972.
Landsat 9 will take on the orbital track of Landsat 7, which will be closed.
Landsat 9 has an imaging sensor that will record the visible and other parts of the spectrum. It also has a thermal sensor to measure surface temperature.
Capturing changes in the planet’s landscape from the growth of cities to the movement of glaciers, the Landsat program is the longest continuous record of Earth observation from space, according to NASA.
interior secretary deb hallandVandenberg, who went to see the launch, said the Landsat program provides “a richer form of data” that helps people in their daily lives and is critical in tackling climate change.
“We are in the grip of a climate crisis right now, we see that every day – droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, Hurricane Ida that devastated parts of the South and up to New England,” Holland said in a NASA interview. Said during TV interview.
“Images like the one that Landsat 9 will bring back to us will go a long way in guiding us about climate change, working to make sure we make the best decisions, that people have water in the future, that we can eat our food.” may develop in the future,” said Hollande.
The Landsat program has collected more than 9 million multispectral images of Earth’s land and coastlines, according to Jeff Masecki, Landsat 9 project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
“Using this record we can really document and understand the changes in the land environment over this period from human activities as well as natural events,” he told a prelaunch briefing.
Information has a wide range of uses in understanding and managing the Earth’s resources.
“Landsat is our best source for understanding tropical deforestation rates … as well as other forest dynamics such as storms, wildfires, pest outbreaks, as well as the recovery of those disturbances over time,” Masek said. .
He added that Landsat is also important for monitoring agriculture and food security.
“We can pinpoint the types of crops that grow in every region in the US and around the world,” he said. “We can also look at water consumption by crops.”
Landsat 9’s liftoff was the 2,000th launch from Vandenberg since 1958. Located on the Pacific Coast northwest of Los Angeles, its position is ideal for testing ballistic missiles and placing satellites into polar orbit.
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