Skip Navigation
menu close modal
Gallery

GRACE-FO Satellites, Attached to Turntable Fixtures

The GRACE-FO satellites, attached to turntable fixtures, at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California

The GRACE-FO satellites, attached to turntable fixtures, at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California (view 1).

 

Credit

USAF

ENLARGE

Related

This animation shows the annual water storage changes over the U.S. from GRACE from 2003 - 2013.
More
This animation shows the annual water storage changes over the U.S. from GRACE from 2003 - 2013.
Annual Water Storage Changes over the U.S. from GRACE
A map of groundwater storage trends for Earth's 37 largest aquifers using GRACE data, showing depletion and replenishment in millimeters of water per year. 
More
A map of groundwater storage trends for Earth's 37 largest aquifers using GRACE data, showing depletion and replenishment in millimeters of water per year.
Map of Groundwater Storage Trends for Earth's 37 Largest Aquifers
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
GRACE-FO mission logo 
More
GRACE FO logo
GRACE-FO Logo
Illustration of GRACE-FO above Antarctica.
More
Illustration of GRACE-FO above Antarctica.
GRACE-FO Above Antarctica
GRACE Flight Trajectory
More
GRACE Flight Trajectory Illustration
GRACE Flight Trajectory
While the two spacecraft of the GRACE-FO mission go through testing at the IABG facitilty in Germany, engineers deploy the S-Band antenna boom to ensure that it works.
More
While the two spacecraft of the GRACE-FO mission go through testing at the IABG facitilty in Germany, engineers deploy the S-Band antenna boom to ensure that it works.
Airbus Tests GRACE-FO Antenna Boom
GRACE-Follow On (GRACE-FO) is a satellite mission that launched in May 2018. GRACE-FO will continue the work of the GRACE satellite mission tracking Earth's water movement around the globe. These d...
More
Video for the GRACE-FO mission.
Tracking Water from Space
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 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
GRACE Rendering  
More
GRACE Rendering
GRACE Rendering
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 NASA/German Research Centre for Geosciences GRACE Follow-On spacecraft launches onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9,  May 22, 2018, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
More
The rocket carrying GRACE-FO blasts off from the launch pad, with the ocean in the foreground.
GRACE-FO Launches, Ocean View
The twin satellites of NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-on, or GRACE-FO, will track the movement of water around Earth. This short video explains how and why it's important.
More
Explaining why GRACE-FO is so important.
Why Is GRACE-FO So Important?
Flames from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching GRACE-FO into orbit.
More
A close-up of the flames from the rocket launching GRACE-FO.
Rocket Flames
Work begins to build NASA’s twin satellites, under construction by Airbus Defense and Space.
More
NASA’s twin satellites, under construction by Airbus Defense and Space, will be the follow-on spacecraft of the GRACE mission, which have contributed significantly to global climate research since 2002.
Build Commences on GRACE-FO Satellites
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 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
A long exposure of the  GRACE-FO launch from Vandenberg
More
The rocket's blaze is seen across the sky in this long exposure view with the ocean in the foreground.
GRACE-FO Launch, Long Exposure
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
A GRACE-FO satellite and its turntable fixture at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
More
A GRACE-FO satellite and its turntable fixture at the Astrotech Space Operations processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
GRACE-FO Satellite on a Turntable Before Launch
GRACE Follow-On continues the critical mission of measuring the movements of mass within and between Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, land and ice sheets, as well as below Earth’s surface.
More
GRACE Follow-On, scheduled to launch in spring 2018, will continue the critical mission of measuring the movements of mass within and between Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, land and ice sheets, as well as below Earth’s surface.
GRACE-FO Fact Sheet
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
GRACE-FO arriving at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, from Germany. 
More
GRACE-FO arriving at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, from Germany.
GRACE-FO Arrives at Vandenberg
Illustration of GRACE-FO in orbit (view 3).
More
Illustration of GRACE-FO in orbit over Earth.
GRACE-FO in Orbit (View 3)

You Might Also Like

An international team of scientists using observations from NASA-German satellites found evidence that Earth’s total amount of freshwater dropped abruptly starting in May 2014 and has remained low ever since.
More
NASA Satellites Reveal Abrupt Drop in Global Freshwater Levels
NASA Satellites Reveal Abrupt Drop in Global Freshwater Levels
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