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Launched in a sun-synchronous orbit in 2002, Aqua is the second satellite in NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS). More than 20 years later, Aqua is still collecting high-quality data.
Latin for water, Aqua is named for the large volume of information that the mission collects about Earth's water cycle, including evaporation from the oceans, water vapor in the atmosphere, clouds, precipitation, soil moisture, ocean temperature, sea ice, land ice, and snow cover on the land and ice.
Type
Earth Observation Satellite
Data Center
ASDC
GES DISC
LP DAAC
NSIDC DAAC
OB.DAAC
LAADS DAAC
PO.DAAC
Launch
May 4, 2002
Objective
Study Earth's water cycle
Instruments Aboard Aqua
| Instrument Name | Operational Date(s) | Spectral Resolution | Type of Instrument |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) | May 4, 2002 - present | 2378 infrared channels in the 3.74 to 15.4 micron spectral range |
Sounder |
| Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer EOS (AMSR-E) | June 1, 2002 - October 4, 2011 | 6 bands: 6.9 to 89 GHz with 0.3 to 1.1 K radiometric sensitivity |
Spectrometers/ Radiometers |
| Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A) | August 1, 2002 - present | 15 channel microwave sounder with a frequency range of 15-90 GHz |
Profilers/Sounders |
| Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) | November 27, 1997 - present | 0.3-5 µm (SW); 0.3-200 µm (TOT); 8-11 µm (WN; PFM, FM1-FM5 ); 5-35 µm (LW; FM6) |
Spectrometers/Radiometers |
| Humidity Sounder for Brazil (HSB) | May 4, 2002 - February 5, 2003 | Four channels: 1 at 150 GHz, 3 at 183 GHz |
Profiler/Sounder |
| Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) | February 4, 2000 - Present | 36 spectral bands ranging in wavelength from 0.4 µm to 14.4 µm |
Spectrometers/Radiometers |
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