Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

SpaceX launches satellites to monitor fluctuating water levels on Earth

Research has shown wetter areas getting wetter as drier areas get drier

Jeremy B. White
San Francisco
Tuesday 22 May 2018 22:37 BST
Comments
Space X Rocket Launch Iridium 6 GraceFo Mission

A pair of satellites designed to measure how water moves across the Earth have hurtled from a California launchpad into orbit.

The successful launch marked the latest foray into space propelled by SpaceX, the private aerospace firm founded by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The project is a collaboration between Nasa, the American space agency, and the German Research Centre for Geosciences.

A Falcon 9 rocket designed by SpaceX carried the GRACE-FO satellites from a launchpad at California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Now that they have exited the earth’s atmosphere, the satellites will monitor how water flows around the globe over the course of five years.

By gauging a number of factors in the water cycle, from fluctuations in ice sheets and glaciers to ocean currents, the satellites will seek to understand broader shifts in the planet’s climate.

“Our philosophy on Mars has been to follow the water, and that has relevance right here on earth as well”, Nasa administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a video statement, adding the new data “will provide unique insights into earth’s changing climate, and it will have far-reaching benefits to society such as improving water resource management”.

Research derived from a previous satellite observations has revealed that wet areas are getting wetter and dry areas are getting drier, trends that are driven in part by climate change and human water management.

“What we are witnessing is major hydrologic change,” Jay Famiglietti of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a blog post describing the research.

'Immigrant asteroid' 2015 BZ509 orbits Jupiter in opposite direction to rest of space objects circling sun

In addition to the GRACE-FO satellites, the launch carried into low-earth orbit five Iridium NEXT satellites that are intended to build a satellite communications network.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in