NASA Approves Three Small-Satellite Missions

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has approved three small-satellite missions under the Earth System Science Pathfinder program. The three spacecraft are Orbiting Carbon Observatory, Aquarius and Hydros.

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory will enhance understanding of Earth’s carbon cycle and climate. Aquarius will examine the way oceans affect and respond to climate change. Hydros will study how water, energy and carbon are exchanged between land and Earth’s atmosphere.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is the principal investigator for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory mission; Seattle’s Earth and Space Research Center is the principal investigator for the Aquarius mission; and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the principal investigator for the Hydros mission.