Earth

Earth
Goddard Space Flight Center
A NASA laser reflecting technology that will aid Global Positioning System (GPS) accuracy is now operational as of March 9. The instrument, known as a laser retroreflector array, or LRA, launched aboard GPS III SV-09, the ninth of U.S. Space Force’s Block III Global Positioning System satellites, on Jan. 27. LRAs are sets of mirrors […]
Posted March 19, 2026
Earth
Volcanoes
The OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 acquired this rare, relatively clear image of  Mayon, the most active volcano in the Philippines, on Feb. 26, 2026. The natural-color scene is overlaid with infrared observations to highlight the lava’s heat signature.
Posted March 18, 2026
Earth
Earth Observatory
Earth Science
Earth Surface & Interior
Landsat 8 / LDCM (Landsat Data Continuity Mission)
Life on Earth
Topography
Vegetation
Ireland is best known for its many greens, but the striking grays of the island’s Burren region also stand out in satellite images.
Posted March 17, 2026
Earth
Landsat
The William T. Pecora Award is presented annually to individuals or teams using satellite or aerial remote sensing that make outstanding contributions toward understanding the Earth (land, oceans, and air), educating the next generation of scientists, informing decision-makers, or supporting natural or human-induced disaster response.
Posted March 11, 2026
Earth
Earth Science
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography)
Water on Earth
In a first, a space mission led by NASA and France has tracked Earth’s rivers swelling and shrinking from month to month over the course of a year and found significantly less of a swing than previous model-based estimates. A record drought in the Amazon likely influenced the tally made by the Surface Water and […]
Posted March 4, 2026
Earth
Sunlight beams off a partly cloudy Atlantic Ocean just after sunrise as the International Space Station orbited 263 miles above on March 5, 2025. This is an example of sunglint, an optical phenomenon that occurs when sunlight reflects off the surface of water at the same angle that a satellite sensor views it. The result is […]
Posted March 2, 2026
Earth
Landsat
For over 50 years, the Landsat program has provided the longest continuous satellite record of Earth’s land surface from space. Landsat 9, launched in 2021, is the latest mission in this remarkable legacy.
Posted February 26, 2026
Earth
Water on Earth
During a stretch of frigid weather in late January 2026, ice choked the Hudson River along Manhattan’s western shore. The OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 captured this image of the wintry landscape around midday on Jan. 28. This image uses representational color to distinguish ice (light blue) from open water and snow.
Posted February 9, 2026
Earth
Ice & Glaciers
Landsat
NASA Scientist Alex Gardner highlights how Landsat made his research into the dynamics of glacial flow possible.
Posted February 4, 2026
Earth
Goddard Space Flight Center
JPSS-4
Langley Research Center
Libera
NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Science Instruments
NASA’s Libera instrument, which is designed to maintain the global data record of Earth’s radiation budget, has successfully completed comprehensive environmental testing. This critical milestone included thermal vacuum tests that simulate the expected space temperature and environments that Libera will experience during its mission.
Posted January 31, 2026
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