Artists concept of the Jason-1 spacecraft in space

Jason-1 was the first follow-on to the highly successful TOPEX/Poseidon mission. This second joint NASA-CNES mission was flown on a French spacecraft, and launched on an American Delta II rocket from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California. Like TOPEX/Poseidon, the payload included both American and French instruments.

Jason-1 altimeter data are part of a suite of data provided by other JPL-managed ocean missions. The GRACE mission uses two satellites to accurately measure Earth's gravity field (mass distribution), and the QuikSCAT scatterometer mission provided almost 11 years of ocean-surface winds. Jason-1 was decommissioned in July 2013, and continued the task of providing the important oceanographic data time-series originated by TOPEX/Poseidon for 11-1/2 years.

Mission Objectives

  • Extend ocean surface topography into the 21st century
  • Provide a 5-year view of global ocean surface topography
  • Increase understanding of ocean circulation
  • Improve forecasting of climate events

Mission Highlights

Fact Sheet

Jason-1 Fact Sheet