Liftoff of SMAP

The SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive) mission is a NASA Earth-observing satellite mission designed to measure soil moisture and freeze-thaw state from space. Launched on January 31, 2015, SMAP aims to improve our understanding of Earth's water cycle, enhance weather and climate predictions, and contribute to applications such as agriculture, water resource management, and disaster monitoring.

Key features and objectives of the SMAP mission include:

Dual Observations: SMAP uses both active and passive remote sensing techniques to measure soil moisture. The active technique involves emitting microwave energy from the satellite's radar instrument and measuring the energy reflected back from the Earth's surface. The passive technique relies on detecting naturally emitted microwave radiation from the Earth's surface.

Global Coverage: SMAP provides global coverage of soil moisture measurements, making it possible to monitor variations in soil moisture levels across diverse landscapes, from agricultural fields to forests and deserts.

High Resolution: The mission offers high-resolution data, allowing for the observation of fine-scale variations in soil moisture content. This information is valuable for understanding localized changes in water availability.