Jason-1
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
- Long-Running Jason-1 Ocean Satellite Takes Final Bow
- 10th Anniversary - Jason-1 Launch
- Jason-1 : Eight Years and Counting!
- Jason-1 Will Make its 30,000th Orbit
- Jason-1 Releases First Data
- Jason Sets Sail