NASA Chooses Ball Aerospace for Additional 2 Landsat Architecture Studies; Landsat-9 To Replace 22-Year Satellite for Earth Research

NASA has chosen Ball Aerospace to conduct two studies on sensor structures and plans for the new generation of Landsat satellites. NASA and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) collaborate on the Landsat program. The studies will look into the constellation satellite idea and the single satellite concept as part of the Landsat new construction series.

SatNews said that Ball contributed significantly to the current Landsat program by developing the OLI instrument for the Landsat 8 satellite and the OLI-2 instrument for Landsat 9, which is scheduled to launch this year. Aside from the OLI-2, Ball designed and made the cryocooler for Landsat 9's Thermal Infrared Sensor 2.

According to Satellite Today, United Launch Alliance will launch Landsat 9 in September. This spacecraft will take the position of Landsat 7 and will gather data for the world with its sibling satellite, Landsat 8. The image sensor Operational Land Imager was manufactured by Ball Aerospace for both Landsat 8 and 9.

Ball will be looking at designs that expand Reduced Envelope Multispectral Imager (REMI) and the OLI sensor designs to check more spectral bands and increased spatial resolution. These also include new orbit parameters as part of the two studies announced Monday.

Landsat-9 To Be Launched Soon

Ball Aerospace's vice president and civil space general manager, Dr. Makenzie Lystrup, said in a statement that users worldwide depend on the Landsat Program's continuity and reliability. The company, according to Lystrup, has shown technical dependability over its more than 60 years of experience providing cutting-edge systems and instruments to monitor Earth's environment.

(Photo: NASA)
Originally called the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, Landsat-8 collects frequent global multispectral imagery of the Earth’s surface, adding to the continuous Earth remote sensing data set created by previous Landsat missions. The data from Landsat spacecraft constitute the longest existing record of the Earth’s continental surface on a global basis.

NASA said that Landsat-9 will contribute to Landsat's 50-year history of providing free and public data on the Earth's environment. The satellite assists in providing what researchers require and information for individuals who monitor the environment and nature.

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According to the space agency, the satellite would greatly impact the future generation of Earth research and monitoring, which the world will undoubtedly require.

The Earth is recognized for having more to learn, and despite more than 2,000 years on the globe, there are still mysteries to be solved. The next Landsat would replace the existing Landsat-7, deployed in 1999 and has now served the Earth for 22 years.

Landsat has been around for a long time. It has uncovered many things that people cannot see since it has a more immersive perspective on the surface, such as NASA scientists uncovering several varieties of subterranean forest fungus from space.

Landsat was crucial back then, and it is much more so now since it is a project that focuses on human needs when researching the globe. Not all Earth-based resources can guarantee a study of the Earth. The Landsat would allow experts to reach additional regions without the price or hazards of traveling to them.