Jason-3 Officially Reaches Orbit!

After a successful launch, Jason-3 will soon join Jason-2 in a continuing 20-year legacy of measuring sea level rise.

Jan 17, 2016

Jason-3, a U.S.-European satellite mission, lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California today at 10:42 a.m. PST aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, to become the latest spacecraft to track the rate of global sea-level rise. Jason-3 will also help NOAA’s National Weather Service more accurately forecast the strength of tropical cyclones that threaten America’s coasts.

Jason-3 will undergo a six-month phase to test the satellite’s instruments in orbit. Once complete, it will officially begin operations, joining Jason-2, which was launched in 2008.

While flying in a low orbit, 830 miles above the Earth, Jason-3 will use a radar altimeter instrument to monitor 95 percent of the world’s ice-free oceans every 10 days. Since the Topex/Poseidon, and Jason satellite missions started in 1992, researchers have observed global sea-level rise occurring at a rate of 3 mm a year, resulting in a total change of 70 mm – or 2.8 inches – in 23 years.

“Jason-3 will continue the legacy of the Topex/Poseidon and earlier Jason satellites by gathering environmental intelligence from the world’s oceans,” said Stephen Volz, Ph.D., assistant administrator for NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service, which is leading the international mission. “Jason-3 will tell us about the heat of the ocean, vital data if a tropical storm or hurricane is tracking into that location. Having up-to-date sea surface temperatures will help NOAA forecasters better determine if a storm may intensify.”

Jason-3 is an international mission, in which NOAA is partnering with NASA, the Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES, the French Space Agency) and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).

“Jason-3 is a prime example of how our nation leverages NASA expertise in space and scientific exploration to help address critical global challenges in collaboration with NOAA and our international partners,” said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters. “The measurements from Jason-3 will advance our efforts to understand the Earth as a system and the causes of sea level rise.”

Data from Jason-3 will be used for other scientific, commercial, and operational applications, including: deep-ocean and wave modeling, surface wave forecasting for offshore operators; forecasting tides and currents for commercial shipping and ship routing; coastal forecasting for response to environmental challenges, including oil spills and harmful algal blooms; coastal modeling, which is crucial for marine mammal and coral reef research and El Niño and La Niña forecasting.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our other social media channels.

It’s Showtime!!!

Jason-3 Launching Today: 10:42 PST/1:42 EST

January 17, 2016

For LIVE coverage of the launch, click here for NASA TV downlink, schedule information, and streaming video

The Jason-3 satellite will lift off from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 10:42 PST/1:42 EST today. NASA TV will be covering the event live starting at 8:00 am PST/ 11:00 am EST. You can also get launch updates on Twitter by following @NOAAsatellites.

Jason-3 will be travelling aboard a Falcon-9 rocket, which is a “two-stage” rocket. Each stage has its own engines and propellant.

About 154 seconds after the Falcon-9 rocket lifts off, the main engine will cut off. About three seconds after that, the rocket's first stage will separate. Second-stage ignition will follow in about eight seconds. Half a minute into the second-stage burn, the payload fairing, or launch vehicle nose cone, will be jettisoned -- a bit over three minutes after launch. The first cutoff of the second-stage engine will take place nine minutes after liftoff.

The Jason-3 spacecraft and second stage will then coast in an intermediate orbit for about another 46 minutes. The second-stage engine will fire a second time about 55 minutes after launch to place Jason-3 in the desired orbit. Separation of the rocket and spacecraft will occur about half a minute later, or almost 56 minutes after liftoff. A little more than two minutes later, Jason-3 will begin to deploy its twin solar arrays to prepare for operation.

Jason-3 will be flown one minute behind its sister satellite, Jason-2, in order to detect any offsets between the missions. Jason-2 will subsequently be moved to a different orbit to provide additional data coverage.

For LIVE updates, follow @NOAAsatellites or click here for NASA TV downlink, schedule information, and streaming video

Jason-3 Reddit AMA with NOAA and NASA Scientists!

January 5, 2016

Do you have questions about the launch of the Jason-3 satellite? Today is your chance to ask actual NOAA and NASA scientists about the satellite and its mission! https://www.reddit.com/r/science. The Jason-3 satellite will provide altimetry observations of global sea surface height. These data provide critical information forecasters need to predict devastating hurricanes, severe weather, and surface wave heights that can affect shipping and offshore operations.

For over 20 years, the Jason series of satellites (and their predecessor TOPEX/Poseidon), have helped to track global sea level rise, one of the main symptoms of climate change, and other climate phenomena such as El Niño. Data from Jason-3 will be added to this record and will be vital in helping to improve climate prediction models. Eventually we will also re-purpose Jason-2 into its new role of mapping the ocean floor.

Before we launch our new spacecraft, our scientists are ready to answer your questions!

Jason-3 News

Jason-3 Satellite to Bolster Hurricane-Intensity Forecasts, Continue Tracking Global Sea-Level Rise

Jason-3, the latest in a series of satellites that tracks the rate of global sea-level rise and can help NOAA more accurately forecast the strength of tropical cyclones, is scheduled to launch later next month. The U.S.-European partnership mission will lift off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on January 17 at approximately 10:42 a.m. PST from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Like its predecessor missions, Jason-3 will use a radar altimeter instrument and fly in a low-Earth orbit, allowing it to monitor 95 percent of Earth’s ice-free oceans every 10 days. Since the Topex/Poseidon-Jason missions began in 1992, global sea-level rise has occurred at about 3 mm a year, resulting in a total change of 70 mm (2.8 inches) in 23 years, according to researchers.

“The rate of sea-level rise is an important indicator of climate change happening around the world,” said Laury Miller, NOAA’s Jason-3 program scientist and chief of NOAA’s Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry. “We are already seeing significant impacts on coastal regions globally, including more frequent flooding events along the coastal United States.”

In addition to detecting climate change factors, Jason-3 data will help predict short-term, severe weather events, such as hurricanes and tropical storms. NOAA will use the altimeter measurements to monitor ocean conditions that trigger changes in the strength of tropical cyclones, as they move over the ocean towards the land. The technique involves mapping the ocean heat content — the fuel that feeds a storm’s intensity — along a storm’s predicted track.

“The ocean heat content from satellite altimeters can reduce the error of NOAA’s hurricane intensity forecast models by as much as 20 percent in some instances,” Miller said.

Like its predecessor missions, Jason-3 will use a radar altimeter instrument and fly in a low-Earth orbit, allowing it to monitor 95 percent of Earth’s ice-free oceans every 10 days. In addition to detecting climate change factors, Jason-3 data will help predict short-term, severe weather events, such as hurricanes and tropical storms.

Measurements from Jason-3 will be used for other scientific, commercial and operational applications, including: mesoscale deep-ocean and wave modeling, surface wave forecasting for offshore operators; forecasting tides and currents for commercial shipping and ship routing; coastal forecasting for response to environmental problems, including oil spills and harmful algal blooms; coastal modeling, which is crucial for marine mammal and coral reef research and El Niño and La Niña forecasting.

“Data from Jason satellites have been invaluable to the study of El Nino and its impacts for the past two decades," said Josh Willis, NASA's Jason-3 project scientist. "With the launch of Jason-3, our efforts to better monitor and understand the widespread effects of El Nino around the world will continue for years to come."

Jason-3 is an international cooperative mission in which NOAA is partnering with NASA, CNES (the French Space Agency) and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, (or EUMETSAT). Jason-3 will eventually replace Jason-2, which was launched in 2008.

For more information about the Jason-3 mission, please visit: https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/jason-3. The site includes a video overview, images, fact sheets and frequently asked questions.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our other social media channels.

Jason-3 satellite arrives in California, begins preparation for Aug. 8 launch

JUNE 18, 2015

The Jason-3 satellite flew from France and arrived today at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and will be prepared to launch August 8, 2015. Jason-3 will continue a 23-year effort to monitor the world's oceans, tracking sea-level rise, ocean heat content and sea-surface height. Additionally, Jason-3 data will help NOAA accurately predict when tropical cyclones intensify. NOAA leads the international mission, which includes partnership with NASA, the French Space Agency (CNES) and EUMETSAT.

Jason-3 Will Add to Record of the Sea's Rise and Fall

Written by Carol Rasmussen



APRIL 21, 2015

Jason-3, a mission led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that is currently scheduled to launch on July 22 [Ed. note: Launch date has been delayed], is the latest in a series of U.S.-European satellite missions that have been measuring the height of the ocean surface for 23 years. Sea level height is a critical piece of evidence about Earth's natural cycles and how humans are affecting our planet. Read More...