Orbital ICESat-2 - Manual

Earth Science/
Remote Sensing
Mission Description
ICESat-2 is a continuation of the global time series of precision ice topography measurements initiated
by the first ICESat mission and extended in selected areas by the IceBridge campaigns, a series of
ongoing surveys of selected polar areas using aircraft-borne instruments. The first ICESat, on orbit from
2003 to 2010, provided invaluable data needed to assess ice sheet mass balance, sea ice thickness
and to estimate biomass.
ICESat-2 uses improved precision laser-ranging techniques to measure the topography of the
Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets and the thickness of sea ice. The mission was recommended by
the National Research Council in its 2007 decadal survey of NASA Earth science research priorities.
ICESat-2 supports NASA's Earth science program by helping scientists develop a better scientific
understanding of the Earth system and its response to natural or human-induced changes.
Spacecraft
Orbital is responsible for the design and manufacture of the ICESat-2 spacecraft, as well as payload
integration and system test of the completed observatory. The spacecraft design is derived from
Orbital's proven LEOStar-3
™ bus used for NASA's Landsat 8, the GeoEye-1 Earth imaging satellite, and
NASA's Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope.
• Managed by NASA’s Goddard Space
Flight Center
• Launching in 2017, ICESat-2
continues the time series of precision
ice topography measurements made
by the first ICESat from 2003 to 2010
• The second generation ICESat
orbiting laser altimeter provides
precise measurements of ice-sheets,
sea-ice, and vegetation
• Scientists use ICESat-2 data to
accurately project just how rapidly ice
sheets will melt as temperatures rise
to enable policy makers to prepare
vulnerable coastal populations for
rising sea levels
• ICESat-2 uses a micro-pulse multi-
beam approach providing dense
cross-track sampling to improve
elevation estimates over areas with
high-slopes and rough terrain
• The ICESat-2 spacecraft builds on
Orbital's LEOStar-3 design used on
NASA's Landsat 8
Customer:
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
FACTS AT A GLANCE
ICESat-2
Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite
LEO
The ICESat-2 spacecraft is being designed,
assembled, and tested at Orbital's 135,000
square foot satellite manufacturing and test
facility in Gilbert, Arizona.