Skip Navigation
menu close modal
Gallery

GRACE Flight Trajectory

GRACE Flight Trajectory Illustration

The GRACE satellites were launched on March 17, 2002, aboard a Rockot Launch Vehicle from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia.

Credit

Center for Space Research – The University of Texas at Austin

ENLARGE

Related

The GRACE-FO satellites, attached to turntable fixtures, at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. 
More
The GRACE-FO satellites, attached to turntable fixtures, at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California (view 2).
GRACE-FO Satellites at Vandenberg
The signal of the December 2004 earthquake in the Indian Ocean in GRACE observations of Earth's gravity field. 
More
The signal of the December 2004 earthquake in the Indian Ocean in GRACE observations of Earth's gravity field.
GRACE Sees Earthquake in Indian Ocean
Illustration of GRACE-FO in orbit (view 3).
More
Illustration of GRACE-FO in orbit over Earth.
GRACE-FO in Orbit (View 3)
GRACE Follow-On will test a Laser Ranging Interferometer to measure intersatellite distance changes with unprecedented precision. 
More
GRACE Follow-On – the future of satellite geodesy. Launching in 2017, this mission will be the first to use a Laser Ranging Interferometer to measure intersatellite distance changes with unprecedented precision.
Laser Ranging Interferometer
A 3D interactive model of NASA's GRACE-FO spacecraft.
More
A 3D model of NASA's GRACE-FO spacecraft.
GRACE-FO 3D Model
The twin GRACE-FO satellites will pick up where the GRACE mission (2002-2017) left off, studying our changing planet.
More
Video reel for media on the GRACE-FO mission to study Earth.
GRACE Follow-On Media Reel
The two GRACE-FO satellites are seen from GFZ’s Satellite Laser Ranging Station in Potsdam, Germany, on May 23, 2018 at 22:16 UTC and 22:17 UTC, respectively.
More
The bright lights of the spacecraft are seen against the dark black of space.
GRACE-FO Satellites From Potsdam
The GRACE Intermediate Field 48 (GIF48 from UT-CSR) field model is an improved mean gravity field that combines GRACE observations and terrestrial gravity information.
More
The GRACE Intermediate Field 48 (GIF48 from UT-CSR) field model is an improved mean gravity field that combines GRACE observations and terrestrial gravity information The terrestrial gravity information was taken from the DTU10 global gravity field. Shown here are the so-called free air gravity deviations from an ideal ellipsoidal Earth model, in units of milli-gal. Areas colored yellow, orange, or red are areas where the actual gravity field is larger than the featureless-Earth model predicts, while the progressively darker shades of blue indicate places where the gravity field is less.
Static Gravity Field Anomalies
The GRACE-FO satellites, attached to turntable fixtures, at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California (view 1).  
More
The GRACE-FO satellites, attached to turntable fixtures, at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
GRACE-FO Satellites, Attached to Turntable Fixtures
GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO) continues the legacy of GRACE, tracking Earth’s water movement and surface mass changes across the planet. Monitoring changes in ice sheets and glaciers, near-surface and...
More
GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO) continues the legacy of GRACE, tracking Earth’s water movement and surface mass changes across the planet. Monitoring changes in ice sheets and glaciers, near-surface and underground water storage, the amount of water in large lakes and rivers, as well as changes in sea level and ocean currents provides an integrated global view of how Earth’s water cycle and energy balance are evolving.
GRACE-FO Mission Brochure
The GRACE-FO satellites were assembled by Airbus Defence and Space in Germany. The photo shows one of the satellites in the testing facility of IABG, an Airbus subcontractor, in Munich (view 2). 
More
The GRACE-FO satellites were assembled by Airbus Defence and Space in Germany. The photo shows one of the satellites in the testing facility of IABG, an Airbus subcontractor, in Munich (view 2).
GRACE-FO Satellites During Testing (View 2)
GRACE Rendering  
More
GRACE Rendering
GRACE Rendering
Changes in total water storage on Earth in 2007, as measured by GRACE.
More
Water storage on Earth in 2007
Water Storage on Earth in 2007
Illustration of GRACE-FO in orbit (view 2).
More
Twin spacecraft of GRACE-FO in orbit over Earth.
GRACE-FO in Orbit (View 2)
Illustration of GRACE-FO gravity data over Africa.
More
Illustration of GRACE-FO gravity data over Africa.
GRACE-FO Gravity Data Over Africa
GRACE observed Earth’s surface mass changes nearly every month from 2002 to mid-2017. GRACE Follow-On will provide crucial continuity to these observations for the next five years or more.
More
GRACE observed Earth’s surface mass changes nearly every month from 2002 to mid-2017. GRACE Follow-On will provide crucial continuity to these observations for the next five years or more.
Earth Mass Changes, 2002 to 2017
The GRACE-FO satellites are nearly identical. The Microwave Interferometer (MWI) will measure the minute variations in distance between the spacecraft.
More
The GRACE-FO satellites are nearly identical. The Microwave Interferometer (MWI) will measure the minute variations in distance between the spacecraft.
GRACE-FO Instruments
The GRACE mission launched in 2002, changing our understanding of Earth.
More
The GRACE mission launched in 2002, changing our understanding of Earth.
15 Years of GRACE
Illustration of GRACE-FO in orbit (view 4)
More
Illustration of GRACE-FO in orbit
Illustration of GRACE-FO (View 4)
A simplified example of how the distance between the GRACE-FO satellites changes as they pass from the Caribbean Sea across Colombia and Peru.
More
A simplified example of how the distance between the GRACE-FO satellites changes as they pass from the Caribbean Sea across Colombia and Peru (which have higher mass than the oceans) to the Pacific Ocean. Panel 1: When both spacecraft are over the ocean, the distance between them is relatively constant.
How GRACE-FO Measures Gravity
The rainy and dry seasons in the Amazon Basin in 2004, revealed by gravity anomalies observed by GRACE. Reds and pinks show where and when mass was higher than average, a sign that more water was p...
More
The rainy and dry seasons in the Amazon Basin in 2004, revealed by gravity anomalies observed by GRACE. Reds and pinks show where and when mass was higher than average, a sign that more water was present, and blues show months when mass was lower.
Rainy and Dry Seasons in the Amazon (2004)
Illustration of GRACE-FO above Antarctica.
More
Illustration of GRACE-FO above Antarctica.
GRACE-FO Above Antarctica
Illustration of GRACE-FO separating from Falcon 9 rocket after launch.
More
Illustration of GRACE-FO separating from Falcon 9 rocket after launch.
GRACE-FO Separating from Rocket After Launch
An artist's rendering of the twin GRACE-FO spacecraft.
More
An artist's rendering of the twin GRACE-FO spacecraft in orbit around Earth.
GRACE-FO Rendering
This map from September 2015 shows deep drought in California, Nevada and Texas. 
More
While the GRACE mission was active, scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center generated groundwater and soil moisture drought indicators like this every week from GRACE data on terrestrial water storage and other observations, using a numerical model of land surface water and energy processes.
Groundwater Drought Indicator

You Might Also Like

GRACE and GRACE-FO observations are now addressing the crucial need for sustainable groundwater management practices to ensure water resiliency amidst ongoing climate challenges in California.
More
Data in Action: GRACE and GRACE-FO are used by California's Department of Water Resources for Groundwater Management Information
Data in Action: GRACE and GRACE-FO are used by California's Department of Water Resources for Groundwater Management Information
The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment-Continuity mission will extend a decades-long record of following shifting water masses using gravity measurements.
More
US, Germany Partnering on Mission to Track Earth's Water Movement
US, Germany Partnering on Mission to Track Earth's Water Movement
This immersive experience leverages satellite data to illustrate how climate change is impacting Earth’s water cycle.
More
Google's ‘A Passage of Water' Brings NASA's Water Data to Life
Google's ‘A Passage of Water' Brings NASA's Water Data to Life
Early data shows the greatest net gain of water over the winter in nearly 22 years, but the state’s groundwater levels still suffer from the effects of years of drought.
More
US-German Satellites Show California Water Gains After Record Winter
US-German Satellites Show California Water Gains After Record Winter
Scientists have predicted that droughts and floods will become more frequent and severe as our planet warms and climate changes, but detecting this on regional and continental scales has proven difficult. Now a new NASA-led study confirms that major droughts and pluvials – periods of excessive precipitation and water storage on land – have indeed been occurring more often.
More
Warming Makes Droughts, Extreme Wet Events More Frequent, Intense
Warming Makes Droughts, Extreme Wet Events More Frequent, Intense
In a recent study, scientists found that a previously unmeasured source – water percolating through soil and fractured rock below California’s Sierra Nevada mountains – delivers an average of 4 million acre feet (5 cubic kilometers) of water to the state’s Central Valley each year. This underground source accounts for about 10% of all the water that enters this highly productive farmland each year from every source (including river inflows and precipitation).
More
NASA Measures Underground Water Flowing From Sierra to Central Valley
NASA Measures Underground Water Flowing From Sierra to Central Valley