Two next-generation satellite missions announced this week will strengthen NASA’s ability to monitor Earth, improve long-range environmental forecasting and support disaster preparedness.
The missions have been selected for continued development under NASA’s Earth System Explorers Program, which funds principal investigator-led Earth science missions aligned with priorities identified by the scientific community and national needs.
NASA Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate Nicky Fox said the missions would deliver critical data for decision-makers while also supporting future human exploration beyond Earth.
“NASA uses the unique vantage point of space to study our home planet to deliver life-saving data into the hands of disaster response and decision-makers every day for the benefit of all, while also informing future exploration across our solar system,” Fox said. “By understanding Earth’s surface topography, ecosystems and atmosphere, while also enabling longer-range weather forecasting, these missions will help us better study the extreme environments beyond our home planet as we return to the Moon with Artemis and journey onward to Mars and beyond.”
One of the selected missions, STRIVE — Stratosphere Troposphere Response using Infrared Vertically-resolved light Explorer — will deliver daily, near-global, high-resolution measurements of atmospheric temperature, composition and aerosols from the upper troposphere to the mesosphere. The mission will also measure vertical profiles of ozone and trace gases critical to understanding ozone layer recovery.
NASA said STRIVE will provide atmospheric data at a far higher spatial density than any previous mission, supporting improved long-range weather forecasting, particularly for coastal regions where nearly half of the world’s population lives. The mission is led by Lyatt Jaeglé at the University of Washington.
The second mission, EDGE — Earth Dynamics Geodetic Explorer — will observe the three-dimensional structure of terrestrial ecosystems as well as the surface topography of glaciers, ice sheets and sea ice. EDGE will build on and extend measurements from NASA’s ICESat-2 and GEDI missions, providing more detailed insights into changes affecting land and sea transportation corridors, terrain and other areas of commercial and environmental significance.
EDGE is led by Helen Amanda Fricker at the University of California San Diego.
Both missions will now advance to the next phase of development and will undergo confirmation reviews in 2027 to assess technical progress and funding availability. If confirmed, each mission will have a total estimated cost of no more than US$355 million, excluding launch, with earliest launch dates no earlier than 2030.
