(missions by alphabetical order)

Aquarius

• Launched on: June 9th, 2011 at 7:20:13 a.m. PDT (10:20:13 a.m. EDT) from Vandenberg Air Force Base launch pad SLC 2 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II 7320 rocket
• Agency, Country: NASA (USA) in cooperation with Argentina and Brazil
• Mission Duration: na
• Mission, Features: a mission to analyze Earth's water cycle and the oceans' salinity
• Route, Remarks: the mission is to last 3 years which is the original scheduled duration
• Status: na
• for more check at NASA site for their dedicated page to that mission, as their Mission Finder is a useful tool

Aura

• Launched on: July, 15th, 2004 at 6:01:59 a.m. EDT (3:01:59 a.m. PDT) from Vandenberg Air Force Base aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket
• Agency, Country: NASA (USA)
• Mission Duration: na
• Mission, Features: Aura is part of the "Earth Observing System (EOS)" or "A-Train," a group of three satellite monitoring Earth system. Aura is coming completing two craft already in orbit. Terra is monitoring land as Aqua is Earth's water cycle, as Terra follows the morning light around the Earth, capturing images along a roughly north-south trajectory and Aqua captures a similar view in the afternoon. Aura is dedicated to air quality, ozone, and climate change
• Route, Remarks: Aura is to orbit in a near polar, sun-synchronous orbit (period: 100 minutes, altitude: 438 mi (705 km)). The craft overflies a given point of Earth each 16 days. Ozone is protecting us, in the high atmosphere, from Sun ultraviolet radiation. Aura will assess whether the "ozone hole" is recovering or not. Ozone hole is a thinning of ozone layer over both poles -and some other places- due to chlorofluorocarbons emissions and was first seen in 1985. Aura is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
• Status: Aura successfully launched on July, 15th 2004 and is now in an activation phase. The craft will reach its nominal orbit of 438 miles above Earth (705 km) via six ascent burns as first scienctific data are hoped within 30 to 90 days
• for more check at NASA site for their dedicated page to that mission, as their Mission Finder is a useful tool

Cloudsat/Calipso (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations)

• Launched on April 28th, 2006, 3:02 a.m. PDT atop a Boeing Delta II, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, SLC-2
• Agency, Country: NASA (JPL/Goddard Space Flight Center) (USA)
• Mission Duration: na
• Mission, Features: the Cloudsat/Calipso satellite will provide new information about clouds and aerosols interactions with Earth's climate in relation to global climate change. The Calipso mission is managed for NASA by the Goddard Space Flight Center. The mission is composed of two satellites, CALIPSO and Cloudsat, which will fly 15 seconds apart in a 438-mile (705 km) circular, Sun-synchronous polar orbit. They may be considered part of the "Earth Observing System (EOS)" or "A-Train," a group of three satellites (Aqua, Aura, and French CNES Parasol) monitoring the Earth system
• Route, Remarks: the French CNES is participating to the mission. The mission is managed by the JPL and the Goddard Space Flight Center
• Status: launched. The orbit will eventually be a 438-mile (705-km) high, sun-synchronous polar orbit as the craft will always cross the equator at the same local time
• for more check at NASA site for their dedicated page to that mission, as their Mission Finder is a useful tool

GPM (Global Precipitation Measurement) Core Observatory

• Launched on February (Japan time), 28th, 2014, aboard a Japanese H-IIA rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center, Tanegashima Island, Japan
• Agency, Country: NASA (USA)-JAXA (Japan)
• Mission Duration: na
• Mission, Features: The GPM mission is an international satellite mission that will set a new standard for precipitation measurements from space. The observatory will collect advanced measurements of rain and snow that will be combined into a global data set every three hours
• Route, Remarks: na
• Status: launched
• for more check at NASA site for their dedicated page to that mission, as their Mission Finder is a useful tool

GOES-N

• Launched on May 24th, 2006, at 6:11 p.m. EDT atop a Boeing Delta IV from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS)
• Agency, Country: NASA (Goddard Space Flight Center/NOAA) (USA)
• Mission duration: na
• Mission, Features: GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) missions are geostationary satellites about real- and short-term weather forecasting, and space environmental conditions. They are part of the GOES/POES program which is the key element of USA weather operations. POES (Polar Operational Environmental Satellite) missions are polar orbiting satellites about long-range weather forecasting. The series N-P is the next series of satellites, extending the existing GOES system. GOES-13 is the first of three new NOAA geostationary environmental satellites. The other two in the new series are GOES-14, launched in June 2009 and now in orbital storage, and GOES-15, launched on March 4, 2010, and undergoing tests before completing its "check-out" phase, scheduled to be complete in August 2010. Since the first GOES launch in 1974, these satellites have supplied the data critical for fast, accurate weather forecasts and warnings. The newer GOES series of satellites help relay distress signals from emergency beacons, and are equipped to monitor solar activity, which can impact billions of dollars worth of government and commercial assets in space and on the ground
• Route, Remarks: the mission is managed by Goddard Space Flight Center / NOAA. The GOES-N satellite was renamed GOES-13 when he had achieved geosynchronous orbit and became GOES-EAST on April 14th, 2010 when he came to replace GOES-12 which the NOAA shifted in orbit to provide coverage for South America, as part of the Global Earth Observing System of Systems, or GEOSS. The GOES-N was moved from on-orbit storage and into active duty. It is perched above the equator. There are two GOES satellites that cover weather conditions in the U.S. and they are positioned over the eastern and western U.S. The satellite in the GOES EAST position covers weather on the eastern side of the continental U.S., including the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The GOES WEST position covers the western half of the U.S. and the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The GOES-11 continues to occupy the GOES-WEST position. The GOES-EAST has experimented troubles with its imager and sounder since September 23, 2012. NOAA called into operation the on-orbit spare GOES satellite, called GOES-14 as GOES-14 data is being relayed via GOES-13
• Status: launched
• for more check at NASA site for their dedicated page to that mission, as their Mission Finder is a useful tool

GOES-O

• Launched on: June 27th, 2009, aboard a Delta IV from the Kennedy Space Center, (Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, launch complex 37B)
• Agency, Country: NASA/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), USA
• Mission Duration: na
• Mission, Features: the GOES-O is a weather, solar and space operations, and science, GOES series N-P satellite
• Route, Remarks: the Goes-O spare satellite will serve like a spare satellite, until needed, of the NASA-NOAA network of the GOES series. Renamed GOES-14 once its definitive orbit reached
• Status: launched
• for more check at NASA site for their dedicated page to that mission, as their Mission Finder is a useful tool

GOES-P

• Launched on: Mar. 2nd, 2010, at 6:57 p.m. EST, aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV, from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (launch complex 37)
• Agency, Country: NASA/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), USA
• Mission Duration: na
• Mission, Features: the GOES-P satellite is a meteorological satellite designed to watch for storm development and weather conditions on Earth, to monitor and predict weather, measure ocean temperatures, perform climate studies, and detect hazards with its emergency beacon support and Search and Rescue Transponder
• Route, Remarks: belongs to a series of satellites of that kind. Once the orbit reached, the GOES-P will be renamed GOES-15 after 5 months of preparation of its subsystems, spacecraft instruments and communications services. GOES-15 is the third and final spacecraft in the GOES N-P Series of geostationary environmental weather satellites which too monitor the solar weather in its implications unto the satellites or terrestrial facilities. NOAA operates GOES-13 in the east and GOES-11 in the west -- both provide weather observations covering more than 50 percent of the Earth's surface. The GOES-15 spacecraft, will be placed in an on-orbit storage location at 105 degrees west longitude should one of the operational GOES satellites degrade or exhaust their fuel. It will share a parking space with GOES-14, currently in the same storage orbit. Both satellites can be made operational within 24 hours to replace an older satellite
• Status: launched
• for more check at NASA site for their dedicated page to that mission, as their Mission Finder is a useful tool

Jason-2

• Launched on Jun. 20, 2008, at 12:46 a.m. PDT aboard a Boeing Delta II, from Vandenberg AFB (launch pad SLC-2)
• Agency, Country: NASA (USA), in cooperation with Europe
• Mission Duration: 3 to 5 years
• Mission, Features: this 'Ocean Surface Topography Mission' is meant to increase our understanding of ocean circulation and improve climate forecasts and measurements of global sea-level change. It will extend the ocean topography measurements collected since 1992, first by TOPEX/Poseidon, then by Jason. The whole mission features four probes in total (Jason-3 was to launch by July 2015)
• Route, Remarks: the mission has a 3 to 5 years duration, as NASA will cooperate with the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), France's CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales) and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT)
• Status: launched
• for more check at NASA site for their dedicated page to that mission, as their Mission Finder is a useful tool

LDCM (Landsat Data Continuity Mission)

• Launched on February 11th, 2013, aboard a ULA Atlas V-401 from the Vandenberg AFB
• Agency, Country: NASA (USA)
• Mission Duration: na
• Mission, Features: the Landsat Data Continuity Mission will be the next mission by NASA to continue the mission of the Landsat series, the current one being the Landsat 7. The mission is the follow-on to Landsat 5, launched in 1984, and Landsat 7, launched in 1999. Both are continuing to supply images and data, but they are operating well beyond their designed lives and suffer limitations due to aging. USGS plans to change the name of LDCM to Landsat 8 when USGS takes over operations after launch and on-orbit checkout. Orbital Sciences Corporation is building the LDCM spacecraft. The Landsat program is a series of Earth-observing satellite missions jointly managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for nearly 40 years
• Status: launched
• for more check at NASA site for their dedicated page to that mission, as their Mission Finder is a useful tool

NOAA-N

• Launched on: Friday, May 20 at 6:22:01a.m. EDT from Vandenberg AFB aboard a Delta II from Vandenberg AFB, SLC-2
• Agency, Country: NASA (Goddard Space Flight Center/NOAA) (USA)
• Mission Duration: na
• Mission, Features: POES (Polar Operational Environmental Satellite) missions are polar orbiting satellites about long-range weather forecasting. They are part of the GOES/POES program which is the key element of USA weather operations (GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) missions are geostationary satellites about real- and short-term weather forecasting, and space environmental conditions). NOAA is using two such satellites, a morning and an afternoon one so every part of the Earth is observed at least twice each 12 hours. The NOAA manages the program and the operational control, as the Goddard Space Flight Center procures and manages the development and launch of the satellites
• Route, Remarks: the mission is managed by Goddard Space Flight Center / NOAA, as this NOAA-N is the first in a series to be part of a joint project with the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMESTAT), collecting and exchanging meteorological information with other nations. Once in orbit NOAA-N will be renamed NOAA-18 (NOAA-N is replacing the NOAA-16 which began operating in Sept. 2000; it's joining NOAA-17, launched in June 2002). Such NOAA-N satellites are used too in rescue operations as they detect emergency beacon distress signals and relay their location to ground stations, in the frame of the international Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System (COSPAS-SARSAT). Another such satellite is to launch in Dec. 2007.
• Status: launched. NOAA-N is now NOAA-18. After 21 days the operational control is to be transfered from NASA to the NOAA. A comprehensive on-orbit verification will be performed by NASA during about 45 days
• for more check at NASA site for their dedicated page to that mission, as their Mission Finder is a useful tool

NOAA-N Prime

• Launched on: February 4th, 2009 (should be that date), from the Vandenberg AFB, aboard a Delta II (launch pad SLC-2)
• Agency, Country: NOAA (USA)
• Mission Duration: na
• Mission, Features: the NOAA satellites are usual weather satellites meant to collect data for weather prediction and climate research across the globe, with two satellites working in tandem so every part of the Earth is observed at least twice every 12 hours
• Route, Remarks: na
• Status: launched
• for more check at NASA site for their dedicated page to that mission, as their Mission Finder is a useful tool

NPP (NPOESS Preparatory Project)

• Launched on: October 28th, 2011 at 5:48 a.m. EDT, aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II, from the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. Space Launch Complex 2
• Agency, Country: NASA (USA)
• Scheduled Arrival Date: na
• Mission Duration: na
• Mission, Features: the 'National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project' (NPP) mission represents the next-generation low-Earth orbiting weather and climate monitoring satellites that will provide operational and long-term weather and climate data for both military and civilian use for the next two decades. Extending the time series initiated by the Terra, Aqua and Aura satellites the NPP mission is to provide risk reduction for NPOESS instruments, algorithms, ground data processing, archive, and distribution prior to the launch of the first actual NPOESS spacecraft. The NPOESS satellites are to collect a massive amount of very precise earth surface, atmospheric and space environmental measurements from a variety of on-board sensors. This volume of data will allow scientists and forecasters to monitor and predict weather patterns with greater speed and accuracy. NPP represents a critical first step and a bridge between NASA's Earth Observing System satellites to the next-generation Joint Polar Satellite System, or JPSS, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) program to collect data on long-term climate change and short-term weather conditions. JPSS is the civilian component of the former National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), which was reorganized by the Obama Administration in 2010. The NPP also can provide clear nighttime images
• Route, Remarks: the NPP is part of NASA's EOS system of satellites as it will fly a orbit passing over the poles, by about 512 miles and completing about 14 orbits per day. Suomi NPP possesses groundbreaking new Earth observing instruments. The NPP Project is a joint effort of the NPOESS Integrated Program Office (IPO), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NASA and the Department of Defense. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center manages the NPP mission on behalf of the Earth Science Division of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. The NPP successfully separated from the Delta II 58 minutes after launch, and the first signal was acquired by the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. NPP's solar array deployed 67 minutes after launch
• Status: operating. After launch, NPP will be controlled from the operations center, where NOAA operates 17 U.S. and foreign environmental satellites. The NPP has renamed, early 2012, in honor of the late Verner E. Suomi, a meteorologist at the University of Wisconsin who is recognized widely as the father of satellite meteorology. NPP is now known like the 'Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership,' or 'Suomi NPP.' After a commissioning activities, initial checkout phase before starting regular observations with all of its five instruments which ended by March 2012, the operation of the Suomi NPP has been turned over to a Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) team
• for more check at NASA site for their dedicated page to that mission, as their Mission Finder is a useful tool

OCO-2 (Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2)

• Launched on: July 2nd 2014, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., Complex 2 aboard a Delta II rocket
• Agency, Country: NASA (USA)
• Mission duration: na
• Mission, Features: OCO-2 will study and make time-dependent global measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide. It will provide the first complete picture of human and natural carbon dioxide sources and sinks the places where the gas is pulled out of the atmosphere and stored. The observatory's high-resolution measurements will help scientists better understand the processes that regulate atmospheric carbon dioxide
• Route, Remarks: The OCO-2 project is managed by JPL. A original OCO mission was lost shortly after launch on Feb. 24, 2009. The OCO-2 began observation one month after launch and reached its final operating orbit. It is now part of the 'A-Train' series of missions forming the 'super observatory' for simultaneous climate and weather measurements. OCO-2 is now followed by the Japanese GCOM-W1 satellite, and then by NASA’s Aqua, CALIPSO, CloudSat and Aura spacecraft, respectively, all of which fly over the same point on Earth within 16 minutes of each other
• Status: launched
• for more check at NASA site for their dedicated page to that mission, as their Mission Finder is a useful tool

SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive)

• Launched on: January 31, 2015 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., Complex 2 aboard a Delta II rocket. Launch is of the responsability of United Launch Services LLC of Englewood, Colo. as NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center is responsible for launch
• Agency, Country: NASA (USA)
• Mission Duration: na
• Mission, Features: SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze-thaw state enhancing understanding of processes that link Earth's water, energy and carbon cycles. Data will be used to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities
• Route, Remarks: SMAP is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif.
• Status: launched
• Mission's site: na

TIMED (Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics)

• Launched on: January 2002
• Agency, Country: NASA (USA)
• Mission Duration: 2 years; a new extension by 2010 is allowing the mission through 2014. This is its fourth extension since the original 2-year mission
• Mission, Features: the mission of TIMED was to understand the energy transfer into and out of the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere/Ionosphere (MLTI) region of the Earth's atmosphere as well as the basic structure (i.e., pressure, temperature, and winds) that results from the energy transfer into the region, differentiating between human-induced and naturally occurring changes in this atmospheric region. The recentest extension also allows TIMED to continue collecting data for longer than a full 11-year solar cycle and discriminating between Sun and human-induced climate change. Cooling temperatures in the middle atmosphere are causing the thermosphere to become less dense and its composition to change with less drag on satellites in space, or alter ionospheric structures that affect radio wave propagation and communications
• Route, Remarks: na
• Status: launched
• Mission's site: na