When it its final orbit, Jason 2 will be able to monitor 95% of the ice-free oceans on Earth over a ten-day period.

Jason 2 is intended to be positioned just behind Jason 1 in their orbits. For about six months Jason 2 will be calibrated based on data from Jason 1. Once it is calibrated properly, Jason 2 will fire its thrusters again and alter its course so that both spacecraft will be able to double the coverage now provided by Jason 1.

Eventually Jason 1 will be decommissioned, with Jason 2 taking over all the operations.

The NASA/CNES TOPEX/Poseidon mission, launched in 1992 and operational until 2006, and the NASA/CNES Jason-1 mission, launched in 2001, preceded the third-generation Jason 2 satellite.

The primary instrument on Jason 2 is the Poseidon 3 dual frequency altimeter. It will provide improved monitoring and measuring of the Earth’s ocean currents, tides, and general circulation patterns, its coastal areas, seas, and other bodies of water. Jason 2 will also analyze the weather and climate of the world.

Dr. Lars Prahm, Director-General of EUMETSAT, commented on the successful launch. He stated that Jason 2 “… ensures the much-needed data continuity which is vital when measuring the sea level trend, one of the key indicators of climate change. Of equal importance is the contribution Jason-2 will provide for meteorology and oceanography, in the area of long-term and seasonal predictions.” [EUMETSAT: “Jason-2 successfully launched”]

The high-tech project is a joint effort of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the French National Center of Space Studies (CNES, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales), and the European satellite agency EUMETSAT. It was launched onboard a Delta 2 rocket.

CNES manufactured the spacecraft, while NASA and CNES are jointly providing the payload instruments. NASA's Launch Services Program (Kennedy Space Center) is responsible for the launch management and countdown operations.

After completing the on-orbit commissioning of the spacecraft, CNES will hand over operation and control of the spacecraft to NOAA. NOAA and EUMETSAT will generate the near-real-time products produced by Jason 2, and then distribute them to users. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Pasadena, California) manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C.

Tags See All Tags

CNES  Climate Change  Global warming  NASA  NOAA  Ocean  Science  William Atkins