ICESat-2 is part of NASA's Earth Observing System, is a satellite mission for measuring ice sheet mass elevation, sea ice freeboard as well as land topography,vegetation characteristics and clouds. It uses lasers and a very precise detection instrument to measure the elevation of Earth’s surface. INTRO
Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 2 or ICESat-2, is a follow-on to the ICESat mission, was launched on 15 September 2018 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The ICESat-2 spacecraft was built and tested by Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems in Gilbert, Arizona, while the on-board instrument, ATLAS, was built and managed by Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The satellite was launched on a Delta II rocket provided by United Launch Alliance. This was the last launch of the Delta II rocket. LAUNCH
ICESat-2's sole instrument, the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System, or ATLAS collects elevation data using six laser beams - which gives the new mission much denser coverage of Earth's surface. ATLAS measures the travel times of laser pulses to calculate the distance between the spacecraft and Earth’s surface. INTRUMENT
ICESat-2's Applications program is designed to engage people and organizations who plan to use the data, before the satellite launches. Selected from a pool of applicants, this Science Definition Team represents experts in a wide variety of scientific fields including hydrology, atmospheric science, oceanography, and vegetation science. The goal of this group is to communicate the vast capabilities of the ICESat-2 mission with the greater scientific community, with the aim to diversify and innovate new methods and techniques from the collected data. CONCLUSION
