Landsat 9 Satellite Has Successfully Launched Into Orbit

Yesterday marked the successful launch of a new Earth-imaging satellite by NASA called Landsat 9. The satellite was put in orbit atop an Atlas V rocket launched from Vandenburg Space Force Base in California. Landsat 9 was placed into a near-polar and sun-synchronous orbit 705 kilometers above the surface of the planet.

The satellite is the latest in the Landsat series to be used for earth observations. The satellite’s orbit is critical to allow its ability to view the same location on earth from the same position relative to the sun allowing images to be easily compared.

The launch marks the 38th for Atlas V 401. The launch marked the 88 of the Atlas V rocket overall and the 20th in its partnership with NASA. Shortages of liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen due to the pandemic delayed the launch from December 2020

Landsat 9 is the largest of the satellites in the Landsat program, which began operating in 1972. Only seven of the eight satellites launched in the series reached orbit, and currently, only two remain operational.