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Landsat 3 continued the series of Earth observations with improvements over the first two orbiters. The Return Beam Vidicon had an improved spatial resolution of 40 meters, compared to 80 meters for Landsats 1 and 2. Its Multispectral Scanner was modified to include a thermal infrared band. However, this thermal band failed shortly after launch.

Learn more about Landsat 3

Type

Earth Observation Satellite

Launch

March 5, 1978

Objective

Continuously acquire imagery of Earth’s land surface for environmental and resource management
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) provides science for a changing world, which reflects and responds to society’s continuously evolving needs. The USGS brings an array of earth, water, biological, and mapping data and expertise in support of decision-making on environmental, resource, and public safety issues.
Learn more about Landsat 3 with the USGS
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Instruments Aboard Landsat 3

Instrument Name Operational Date(s) Spectral Resolution Type of Instrument
Multispectral Scanner (MSS) July 1972–Oct 1999; June 2012–Jan 2013

0.5 µm to 1.1 µm

 Spectrometer/Radiometer
Return Beam Vidicon (RBV) March 1978 to March 1983 Photon/Optical Detector

Related Platforms

Landsat 1

Landsat 1 is the first Earth-observing satellite designed specifically for studying planet Earth.

Landsat 2

Landsat 2 continued Landsat 1's legacy and established continuous observation from the same vantage point and collected data for 7 years.

Landsat 4

Landsat 4 was launched with the Multispectral Scanner (MSS) and a new advanced imaging sensor, Thematic Mapper (TM).
Landsat 5

Landsat 5 transmitted over 2.5 million images of Earth over the course of 28 years.
Landsat 7

Landsat 7 marked history when data from the satellite became free to the global public.
Landsat 8

Landsat 8 launched with two new instruments, Operational Land Imager (OLI) and the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS)
Landsat 9

Landsat 9 carries the same instruments as Landsat 8: Operational Land Imager 2 (OLI-2) and Thermal Infrared Sensor 2 (TIRS-2)

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