Seastar/SeaWiFS
An Earth observation satellite that has a single instrument: the Sea-viewing
Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), designed to monitor the color of the
world's oceans. Various colors indicate the presence of different types
and quantities of marine phytoplankton, which play a role in the exchange
of critical elements and gases between the atmosphere and oceans. Seastar
monitors subtle changes in the ocean's color to assess changes in marine
phytoplankton levels, and provides data to better understand how these changes
affect the global environmental and the oceans' role in the carbon cycle
and other biogeochemical cycles. The satellite was built and launched and
is operated by Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC), who sell the data collected
to NASA. NASA then retains all rights to the data for research purposes,
while OSC retains all rights for commercial and operational purposes. The
mission, now renamed OrbView-2, is a follow-on
to the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) and the first spacecraft in NASA's
EOS (Earth Observing System).
| launch date |
Aug. 1, 1997 |
| launch vehicle |
Pegasus XL |
| launch site |
Vandenberg Air Force Base |
| orbit |
707 × 708 km × 98.2° |
Related category
• SATELLITES
AND SPACE PROBES
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