to Astronomy, Deep Space Missions
-- data updated monthly; last updated Jun. 8th, 2015; missions on that page since early 2000's --
| Missions Preparing | Missions Operating |
->more about launches and missions at NASA site as their alphabetical list of missions is a useful tool too
->Check That!
Interested in having your name brought aboard a space mission, or even to give a name of yours to a one? Just think that NASA, intermittently or regularly, is allowing for contests to occur through which anyone, or some categories of people can participate and make a proposal for the name of a craft, or to have their names inscripted, or set on a whatever support aboard a mission and to be sent in space! Other spatial agencies also are proposing such opportunities
Missions Preparing(by scheduled date of launch)
| Year | Date | Name of the Mission | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Oct. | GOES-R | a weather satellite | more |
| 2016 | na | ICESat-2 | a Earth science mission to accurate topographic measurements of Greenland and the Antarctic ice sheets and the Arctic and Antaractic sea ice | more |
| 2017 | Feb. | GOES-S | a weather satellite | more |
The JPSS-1 (Joint Polar Satellite System-1), a new generation of NOAA polar-orbiting satellites and the Jason-3, a ocean altimetry were scheduled to launch in 2014
Missions Operating(missions by alphabetical order)
| Name | Object | ending on (in) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aquarius | Earth's ocean salinity | more | na |
| Aura | part of the "Earth Observing System (EOS)" | more | na |
| Cloudsat-Calipso | information about clouds and aerosols interactions with Earth's climate in relation to global climate change | more | na |
| GPM Core Observatory | precipitation measurements from space | more | na |
| GOES-N | satellite of the GOES/POES program | more | na |
| GOES-O | spare satellite of the NASA-NOAA network of the GOES series | more | na |
| GOES-P | spare satellite of the NASA-NOAA network of the GOES series | more | na |
| Jason 2 | 'Ocean Surface Topography Mission' meant to increase our understanding of ocean circulation and improve climate forecasts and measurements of global sea-level change | more | na |
| LDCM (Landsat Data Continuity Mission) | like the name | more | na |
| NOAA-N | part of the GOES/POES program, the key element of USA weather operations | more | na |
| NOAA-N Prime | a NOAA satellite to collect data for weather prediction and climate research across the globe | more | na |
| NPP | next-generation low-Earth orbiting weather and climate monitoring satellite | more | na |
| OCO-2 (Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2) | carbon dioxyde and predictions of global climate change | more | na |
| SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive) | global measurements of soil moisture | more | na |
| TIMED (Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics) | a satellite to study parts of the Earth's atmosphere | more | Extended four times |
Interested in failed missions? see a list
Website Manager: G. Guichard, site 'Amateur Astronomy,' http://stars5.6te.net. Page Editor: G. Guichard. last edited: 10/27/2014. contact us at geguicha@outlook.com