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The NASA Earth Science Program and Small Satellites

Steven P. Neeck Science Mission Directorate

NASA Headquarters

April 20, 2015 10th IAA Symposium on Small Satellites for Earth Observation

Berlin, Germany

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Earth Science – NASA’s Strategic Goal

NASA’s Strategic Goal:

“Advance understanding of Earth and develop technologies to improve the quality of life on our home planet.”

Understanding the complex, changing planet on which we live, how it supports life and how human activities affect its ability to do so in the future is one of the greatest intellectual challenges facing humanity. It is also one of the most important challenges for society as it seeks to achieve prosperity, health, and sustainability. - NRC, 2007

January 25, 2005

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NASA Earth Science – Organizational Context NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) conducts scientific exploration enabled by the use of space observatories and space probes that view the Earth, observe and visit other bodies in the solar system, and gaze out into the galaxy and beyond. NASA’s science program seeks answers to profound questions that touch us all. This combined organization is able to establish an understanding of the Earth, other planets, and their evolution; bring the lessons of our study of Earth to the exploration of the Solar System; and assure the discoveries made here will enhance our work there.

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Earth Science Questions*

• How is the global Earth system changing? (Characterize)

• What causes these changes in the Earth system? (Understand)

• How will the Earth system change in the future? (Predict)

• How can Earth system science provide societal benefit? (Apply)

*NASA 2014 Science Plan January 25, 2005

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Earth Science Division Overview

• Overarching goal: to advance Earth System science, including climate studies, through spaceborne data acquisition, research and analysis, and predictive modeling

• Major activities: • Building and operating Earth observing satellite missions, many

with international and interagency partners • Making high-quality data products available to the broad science

community • Conducting and sponsoring cutting-edge research

– Field campaigns to complement satellite measurements – Analyses of data from NASA and non-NASA missions – Modeling

• Demonstrating applications that deliver societal benefit • Developing technologies to improve Earth observation capabilities

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Guiding Documents

2007 DECADAL SURVEY

• Recommended priorities for future missions and research

• 15 missions in small, medium and large categories Earth Venture class of competed, innovative small missions

2010 NASA RESPONSE TO CLIMATE PLAN

• Identified new Climate Measurements and replacement for OCO

• SAGE III ISS, PACE, OCO-2, GRACE FO • Evaluated and endorsed by 13-agency

USGCRP

2012 NRC MIDTERM REPORT

• Endorsed NASA’s implementation • Recommended adding more Earth Venture

small satellite missions • Encouraged rigorous cost control

In addition to these documents we are of course responsive to Executive and Congressional direction.

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Mission Implementation

Earth Systematic Missions Program (Directed) • Strategic missions aimed at developing a scientific

understanding of the Earth system and its response to natural and human-induced forces

• Produces long-term data sets • Earth Observing System (EOS), Foundational, Decadal

Survey Tier 1-2-3, Climate Continuity, Sustainable Land Imaging

Earth System Science Pathfinder Program (PI-lead) • Low- to moderate-cost research and applications missions

that foster revolutionary science and train future leaders in space-based Earth science and applications

• Makes new or one time measurements • Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP), Earth Venture low-

cost, competed suborbital and orbital missions, as well as instruments for Missions of Opportunity (MoOs)

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Earth Venture (EV)

EVM specifically allows NASA’s Earth Science Division to pursue higher risk (Class D) small satellite missions with high potential science return

EV Sub-Orbital (EVS):

Sustained Sub-Orbital

Investigation

EV Instrument

(EVI): Full function, facility-class instruments Missions of Opportunity

(MoO)

EV Mission (EVM):

Complete, self-contained,

small space missions

EVI-2 selections awarded (GEDI, ECOSTRESS) EVS-2 selections awarded EVI-3 solicitation open EVM-2 solicitation anticipated

NASA Earth Science Research Missions – Currently Operating

(7 of 21 or 33% are small satellite-class)

ICESat-2 2017

SWOT 2020

PACE 2022/2023

NISAR 2020/2021

CLARREO Pathfinder

2019

SAGE-III, LIS

(on ISS) 2016

Grace-FO 2017

CYGNSS 2016

TEMPO NLT 2021

EVM-2 2021

EVI-3 2022

RBI OMPS-Limb TSIS-1 (2017) TSIS-2

JPSS-2 (NOAA)

ECOSTRESS (on ISS) 2017

GEDI (on ISS) 2019

GFZ

CNES CSA UKSA

ISRO

Landsat 9 (USGS) 2023

TIR-FF 2019

Altimetry FO 2020

OCO-3 2017

NASA Earth Science Research Missions – Planned for 2015–2023

(4 or 24% are small satellite-class of 17 missions)

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Missions Distributed by Life Cycle

CLARREO PF* PACE SLI (Landsat 9, TIR-Free Flyer) Altimetry Follow On**

GEDI SWOT NISAR ECOSTRESSTSIS-1** OCO-3*

ICESat-2 GRACE FO CYGNSS SAGE III TEMPO

SMAP

OCO-2 GPM Landsat-8 S-NPP Aquarius Aura OSTM Aqua Terra TRMM EO-1 QuikSCAT SORCE Acrimsat CALIPSO CloudSat GRACE

*To be initiated/restarted in FY2016 **To be transferred from NOAA in FY2016

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SAGE III (2016) GEDI (2019) ECOSTRESS (2017) Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) (2015) HICO (2009)

RapidSCAT (2014)

ISERV (2012)

LIS (2016) Earth

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Afternoon Constellation/”A-Train” (2015)

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2014-2015 NASA Earth Science Launches Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory • Launched February 27,

2014 from Tanegashima, Japan

Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) • Launched July

2, 2014 from VAFB, California

RapidScat on ISS • Launched September

21, 2014 from Cape Canaveral, Florida

CATS on ISS • Launched January

10, 2015 from Cape Canaveral, Florida

Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) • Launched January

31, 2015 from VAFB, California

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Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM)

Mission Description: S/C: Core (GSFC-industry) Instruments:

– Dual-frequency PR (JAXA), GMI (Ball) Mass: 3304 kg Launch Vehicle: H-IIA 202A (JAXA) Orbit: 65º inclination, 407 km Mission Life: 3 years Mission Project Management: GSFC Launched: February 27, 2014 Status: Operations (Phase E)

Mission Science Objective: Initiates the measurement of global precipitation, providing uniformly calibrated measurements from an international constellation of 12 satellites every 3 hours for scientific research and societal applications. Key Science Products: Precipitation intensity and distribution, instantaneous precipitation rate, 3-hourly precipitation rate, daily and monthly precipitation accumulation, latent heat distribution and outreach precipitation products

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GPM Multi-Satellite Precipitation Data (30 min, 10km x 10km)

IMERG: Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM

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Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2)

Mission Description: S/C: LEOStar-2 (OSC) Instrument:

– 3-Channel Grating Spectrometer (JPL/Hamilton Sundstrand)

Mass: 457 kg Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7320 Orbit: 98.2° inclination, sun-synchronous, 705km, (A-Train) with a 1:26 PM LTAN Mission Life: 2 years Mission Project Management: JPL Launched: July 2, 2014 Status: Operations (Phase E)

Mission Science Objective: Collect the first space-based global measurements of atmospheric CO2 with the precision, resolution, and coverage needed to characterize its sources and sinks on regional scales and quantify their variability over the seasonal cycle. Key Science Products: Estimates of the column-averaged CO2 dry air mole fraction (XCO2) on regional scales (≥ 1000 km), collected in cloud-free scenes over ≥80% of range of latitudes on the sunlit hemisphere at monthly intervals for 2 years.

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OCO-2 Data Products (1/2)

Began Delivery of L2 Science Data Products (XCO2)

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OCO-2 Data Products (2/2) OCO-2 SIF (Solar-Induced Fluorescence) observed in the period August through October 2014

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Soil Moisture Active-Passive (SMAP)

Mission Description: S/C: In-house (JPL) Instruments:

– L-Band Radar/Radiometer with shared antenna (JPL, GSFC) – Shared 6m rotating (15 rpm) antenna (JPL)

Mass: 1157 kg Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7320 Orbit: Sun-synchronous, 685 km altitude, 6:00 AM/PM LTDN/LTAN Mission Life: 3 years Mission Project Management: JPL Launched: January 31, 2015 Status: In On-Orbit Commissioning (Phase D)

Mission Science Objective: Make pioneering space-based measurements of soil moisture and freeze/thaw state (hydrosphere state) to enable understanding of natural seasonal variations and to characterize their impacts on surface energy, water, and carbon balances. Key Science Products: Soil Moisture estimate of top 5 cm of soil at 10km spatial resolution and 3-day average intervals over the global land area, excluding regions of snow and ice, frozen ground, mountainous topography, open water, urban areas, and vegetation water content greater than 5kg m-2 (averaged over the spatial resolution scale); Freeze/thaw state north of 45N latitude which includes the boreal forest zone.

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Missions in Formulation* & Implementation**

SMAP Jan 2015 w/CSA

Soil moisture., Frz/Thaw

ICESat-2 Oct 2017

Ice dynamics, ecosystem structure

GRACE FO Aug 2017

w/GFZ; Global mass & water variation

CYGNSS Oct 2016

Tropical cyclone genesis/intensification

SWOT 2020

w/CNES; Sea surface & fresh water height,

slope

CATS, Jan 2015 Aerosols

SAGE III, Feb 2016 Ozone & trace gases

LIS, 2016 Lightning mapper

ECOSTRESS, 2017 Plant water use/stress

GEDI, 2019 Vegetation

canopy/structure

On the ISS

TEMPO NLT 2021

Atmospheric pollutants

NISAR 2020/2021 w/ISRO;

Cryosphere, ecosystems, deformation *Formulation = Phase A/B

**Implementation = Phase C/D

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CYGNSS (CYclone Global Navigation Satellite System)

Mission Description: S/C: 8 microsatellites (SwRI). Instruments:

– Delay Doppler Mapping Instrument (DDMI) GNSS receiver on each S/C (SSTUS)

Mass: 18 kg (each S/C) Launch Vehicle: Small Class

– Deployment module (SwRI) Orbit: 35° inclination, 500 km altitude Mission Life: 2 years Mission Project Management: SwRI (U. Mich. PI) Launch Date: October 2016 Status: Implementation (Phase C) Critical Design Completed

Mission Science Objective: Understand the coupling between ocean surface properties, moist atmospheric thermodynamics, radiation, and convective dynamics in the inner core of tropical cyclones (TC). Measure ocean surface wind speed in all precipitating conditions, including in TC eyewalls. Measure ocean surface wind speed in TC inner cores to resolve genesis and rapid intensification. Support operational hurricane forecast community assessment of data products. Key Science Products: Wind speed in ungridded coordinate system without precision geolocation, gridded wind field with precision geolocation, gridded ocean surface roughness with precision geolocation, data assimilation wind field, operational wind field.

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CYGNSS Science Measurements • Bi-Static Ocean Surface Scatterometry using dense sampling from microsatellite constellation •GPS direct signal provides reference and quasi-specular forward scattered signal contains ocean surface roughness information from which surface winds are derived

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CYGNSS Single Orbit and Daily Coverage

~95 minute (one orbit) coverage showing all specular reflection contacts by each of 8 spacecraft 24 hour coverage provides nearly gap free spatial sampling within +/- 35 degrees latitude

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CYGNSS Microsatellite Deployment

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CYGNSS Constellation Sampling

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Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On

Mission Description: S/C: FlexBus (Airbus) (2) (JPL) Instruments:

– K-Band Ranging System (JPL) – SuperSTAR Accelerometer (ONERA/JPL) – GPS Receivers (JPL) – Laser Retro-Reflectors (JPL) – Laser Ranging Interferometer (JPL/GFZ)

Mass: 487 kg (each S/C) Launch Vehicle: Dnepr (DLR/GFZ) Orbit: 89° inclination, 500 km altitude Mission Life: 5 years Mission Project Management: JPL Launch Date: August 2017 Status: Implementation (Phase C) Critical Design

Mission Science Objective: Continue the accurate mapping of variations in the Earth's gravity field initiated by the GRACE mission in 2002. Key Science Products: Accurate global high-resolution models of the static and time variable components of the Earth’s gravity field, sequence of approximately monthly estimates of the static gravity field, time history of temporal variability of static gravity field.

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GRACE FO Measurement Concept

Courtesty of Airbus

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Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO)

Mission Description: S/C: GEO spacecraft host (SMC) Instruments:

– UV-Vis grating spectrometer (Ball) Mass: 108 kg Orbit: GEO 100±10°W longitude preferred Mission Life: 20 months Principal Investigator: Kelly Chance/SAO Mission Project Management: LaRC Launch Date: NLT 2021 Status: Implementation (Phase C) Critical Design

Mission Science Objective: Collect simultaneous high temporal and spatial resolution measurements of pollutants (tropospheric gases and aerosols) over Greater North America (GNA) from GEO. Determine the diurnal instantaneous radiative forcings associated with pollutants and other climate agents over GNA. Serve as the North American component of an international constellation for air quality monitoring. Key Science Products: SO2, H2CO, NO2, C2H2O2, O3, AOD.

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ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS)

Mission Description: S/C: International Space Station/JEM-EF Instrument:

– Thermal Infrared Radiometer (JPL) Launch Vehicle:

– Space-X Falcon 9 Dragon Orbit: 330-410 km, 51.6o inclination Mission Life: 12 months Principal Investigator: Simon Hook/JPL Mission Project Management: JPL Launch Date: 2017 Status: Formulation (Phase B) Conceptual Design

Mission Science Objective: Identify critical thresholds of water use and water stress in key climate sensitive biomes; Detect the timing, location, and predictive factors leading to plant water uptake decline and/or cessation over the diurnal cycle; and, Measure agricultural water consumptive use over the contiguous United States (CONUS) at spatiotemporal scales applicable to improve drought estimation accuracy. Key Science Products: Tb, Tsurf, ε, ET, WUE, ESI .

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Mission Description: S/C: International Space Station/JEM-EF Instrument:

– Vegetation Canopy Lidar (GSFC) Launch Vehicle:

– Space-X Falcon 9 Dragon Orbit: 330-410 km, 51.6o inclination Mission Life: 12 months Principal Investigator: Ralph Dubayah/Univ. of Maryland Mission Project Management: GSFC Launch Date: 2019 Status: Formulation (Phase A) Conceptual

Mission Science Objective: Quantify the distribution of above-ground carbon at fine spatial resolution; Quantify changes in carbon resulting from disturbance and subsequent recovery; Quantify the spatial and temporal distribution of forest structure and its relationship to habitat quality and biodiversity; Quantify the sequestration potential of forests through time under changing land use and climate. Key Science Products: Canopy Height, Depth, Profile, EAGC .

Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) Lidar

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NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)

Mission Description: S/C: Modified I3K (ISRO) Instruments:

– L-Band polarimetric SAR operated as repeat pass interferometer with 12m deployable antenna (NASA) – S-Band SAR (ISRO) – GPS Payload (NASA)

Mass: 2800 kg Launch Vehicle: GSLV Mark II (ISRO) Orbit: 747 km, Sun-synchronous dawn-dusk (6 AM – 6 PM), 12 day repeat Mission Life: 3 years (5 years consumables) Mission Project Management: JPL Launch Date: late 2020/2021 Status: Formulation (Phase B) Preliminary Design

Mission Science Objective: Understand the response of ice sheets to climate change and the interaction of sea ice and climate. Understand the dynamics of carbon storage and uptake in wooded, agricultural, wetland, and permafrost systems. Determine the likelihood of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and landslides. Key Science Products: Full and reduced resolution images, interferogram and correlation data, polarimetric backscatter, biomass, disturbance, ice and land displacements.

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Sustainable Land Imaging (SLI)

• Landsat 9 - rebuild of Landsat 8 with Thermal Infrared Imager (TIRS) upgraded for Class B and Five year lifetime for launch by 2023.

• Thermal Infrared Free Flyer (TIRFF) - low-cost thermal infrared (TIR) free-flying small satellite for launch in 2019 to reduce the risk of a data gap in this important measurement. The TIR free flyer will ensure data continuity by flying in formation with Landsat 8 and is anticipated to carry a microbolometer TIR sensor and cloud camera.

• Technology and systems innovation - to provide more cost effective and advanced capabilities in future land-imaging missions beyond Landsat 9.

http://sustainablelandimaging.gsfc.nasa.gov/

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Other Recent Additions to ESD Missions • Pre-Aerosol, Cloud, and ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Mission -

ocean color, aerosol, and cloud mission identified in the 2010 report “Responding to the Challenge of Climate and Environmental Change. Expected to carry ocean color sensor as primary payload and polarimeter as secondary. Project established at GSFC with 2022/2023 launch.

• Total Solar Irradiance (TSI) Spectral Solar Irradiance (SSI) TSIS-1 - ISS attached payload to be launched by 2018. To be transitioned to NASA from NOAA in FY2016.

• Altimetry Follow-On (AFO) - continues ocean altimetry measurements beyond the Jason-3 mission. To be initiated in FY2016.

• CLARREO Pathfinder - technology demonstration Reflected Solar and IR instruments for flight on ISS in late 2019.

• OCO-3 – ISS attached payload to be restarted in FY2016.

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In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies (InVEST)

Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) program element to provide space flight validation of technology and risk reduction for components and systems that could not otherwise be fully tested on the ground or in airborne systems. Intended to reduce the risk of new technologies in future Earth science missions.

•Instrument subsystems or instruments at TRL 5-6 that can make or advance the technology to enable relevant Earth science measurements.

•Technologies must be ready for launch within two years after award.

•One year or less for validation of the technology. •Targeted demonstrations from small satellites that comply with Cal Poly CubeSat and Poly Picosat Orbital Deployer (P-POD) standards.

•CubeSat Onboard processing Validation Experiment (COVE) for ACE MSPI – launched December 5, 2013 •GEO-CAPE Read Out Integrated Circuit (ROIC) Flight Experiment (GRIFEX)- launched January 31, 2015 •Intelligent Payload Experiment (IPEX) for HyspIRI – launched December 5, 2013

•InVEST15 Solicitation closes May 29, 2015

http://esto.nasa.gov/techval_space.html

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NASA HEOMD CubeSat Launch Initiative Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) initiative to launch Cubesats, a class of research picosatellites, having a size for 1U of 10 cm x 10 cm x 11 cm and a mass of one kg. Sizes to 6U (10 cm x 22 cm x 34 cm) can be accommodated. 1U, 2U, and 3U sizes are launched via a Poly-Picosatellite Orbital Deployer, or PPOD.

•Cubesats as auxiliary payloads on NASA ELV, CRS, and other launch vehicles. 36 cubesats launched on six missions in 2013 to 2015 – part of Education Launch of Nanosatellite (ELaNa) Project.

•Investigations proposed must address an aspect of science, exploration, technology development, education or operations encompassed by NASA's strategic goals and outcomes as identified in the NASA Strategic Plan and/or NASA's Education Strategic Coordination Framework.

•Total of 119 candidate payloads selected in six AO’s (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015).

•36 cubesats launched and 10 manifested on 11 primary missions.

http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/home/CubeSats_initiative.html

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NASA STMD Small Spacecraft Technology Program Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) program that undertakes both development of small spacecraft technologies and flight demonstrations of new technologies.

•Focused Technology Development and Demonstrations: communications (ISARA, OCSD), propulsion, power, etc.

•Mission Capability Demonstrations: constellations (EDSN), proximity operations (CPOD), constellations with propulsion, etc.

http://www.nasa.gov/smallsats

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Conclusions

• Small satellites (~500 kg or less) are critical contributors to NASA’s Earth science measurements – 33% of current operating missions – 24% of missions planned for 2015 – 2023 – Members of “A-Train” Afternoon Constellation – OCO-2 recently

joined! – Focus of Earth Venture Mission program element which utilizes small

satellites for lower cost, new science enabling missions – EVM-2 solicitation forthcoming

– CYGNSS microsatellite constellation is example – Part of the Sustainable Land Imaging program – TIR Free Flyer

• CubeSats are being used for Earth science instrument technology space validation and risk reduction

• NASA has programs for small satellite technology

development and a CubeSat launch initiative

Thank you!

http://www.nasa.gov/content/earth-right-now/