A crate containing one of the twin Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) satellites.
A crate containing one of the twin Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) satellites is offloaded from an air freighter at California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base Dec. 12 following a transcontinental flight from Germany. GRACE-FO is scheduled for launch this spring.
GRACE-FO will track changes in the distribution of liquid water, ice and land masses by measuring changes in Earth’s gravity field every 30 days. GRACE-FO will essentially measure how much mass is gained or lost each month on the continents, in the oceans, and in the ice sheets. These data will improve scientific understanding of Earth system processes and the accuracy of environmental monitoring and forecasts.
Image credit: USAF