GRACE mission
E86308
The GRACE mission is a joint NASA–German Aerospace Center satellite project that precisely measures Earth's gravity field over time to study changes in ice sheets, sea level, groundwater, and other aspects of the global water cycle.
Aliases (4)
Statements (55)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Earth observation mission
→
gravity field mission → satellite mission → |
| acronym |
GRACE
→
|
| altitude |
about 500 km at launch
→
|
| application |
drought monitoring
→
glacial isostatic adjustment studies → ice sheet mass loss estimation in Antarctica → ice sheet mass loss estimation in Greenland → sea level budget studies → solid Earth response to earthquakes → terrestrial water storage monitoring → |
| country |
Germany
→
United States → |
| dataAvailability |
publicly available
→
|
| dataProduct |
monthly gravity field solutions
→
time-variable gravity maps → |
| fullName |
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment
→
|
| fundingAgency |
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
→
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory → |
| inclination |
about 89 degrees
→
|
| launchDate |
2002-03-17
→
|
| launchSite |
Plesetsk Cosmodrome
→
Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 133 → |
| launchVehicle |
Rockot
→
|
| measurementTechnique |
accelerometer measurements
→
microwave ranging between twin satellites → precise GPS tracking → satellite-to-satellite tracking in low Earth orbit → |
| missionDuration |
about 15 years
→
|
| missionEnd |
2017
→
|
| missionStart |
2002
→
|
| notableContribution |
first satellite mission to provide monthly global maps of Earth’s gravity field variations
→
|
| notableImpact |
enabled global groundwater depletion assessments
→
transformed understanding of large-scale ice mass loss → |
| numberOfSatellites |
2
→
|
| operator |
German Aerospace Center
→
NASA → |
| orbitRegime |
low Earth orbit
→
|
| orbitType |
near-polar orbit
→
|
| partnerInstitution |
GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam
→
University of Texas at Austin Center for Space Research → |
| primaryObjective |
measure Earth’s gravity field variations over time
→
study changes in Earth’s water storage → |
| scienceTeamLeadAgency |
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
→
|
| scientificGoal |
improve models of Earth’s interior mass distribution
→
monitor groundwater storage changes → monitor ice sheet mass balance → monitor sea level change contributions from land ice → study ocean bottom pressure variations → study the global water cycle → |
| spacecraftType |
twin-satellite formation
→
|
| status |
completed
→
|
| successorMission |
GRACE-FO
→
|
| successorMissionFullName |
GRACE Follow-On
→
|
Referenced by (5)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
GRACE mission
("GRACE")
→
|
acronym |
|
GRACE mission
("Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment")
→
|
fullName |
|
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
→
|
notableProject |
|
GRACE mission
("GRACE-FO")
→
|
successorMission |
|
GRACE mission
("GRACE Follow-On")
→
|
successorMissionFullName |