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Prepping to Study the World’s Water

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Surface Water and Ocean Topography spacecraft onboard is seen as preparations for launch continue, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, at Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft is in this early morning photo from Dec. 14, 2022, as preparations for launch continued.

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft is seen in this early morning photo from Dec. 14, 2022, as preparations for launch continued. SWOT, the first satellite mission that will observe nearly all water on Earth’s surface, launched on Dec. 16. Jointly developed by NASA and Centre National D’Études Spatiales, with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency and United Kingdom Space Agency, the satellite will measure the height of water in the planet’s lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and oceans.

This photo was chosen by the NASA Headquarters photographers as one of the best images from 2022. See the rest on Flickr.

Image Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber