Where There's Water...

NASA's "Surface Water and Ocean Topography" Mission

Launch: 2021

SWOT will make the first global survey of Earth's surface water.

For example, SWOT will collect data over Florida's lakes and coastal ocean.

View animation of SWOT collecting data

Over land, SWOT will...

...provide the very first comprehensive view of Earth’s freshwater bodies from space and...

Improve the computer models that are used to monitor drought conditions

Accurately measure changes in reservoir storage over months and seasons

Allow communities to plan future flow conditions, even when upstream water sources are located in other countries

Help improve flood forecasts and help businesses better protect their assets from flood risks

Benefit river commerce by supplementing data from river gauges

Over the ocean, SWOT will...

...detect ocean features with 10 times better resolution than current technologies.

NASA first measured sea surface height in 1978 and has measured it continuously since 1992 with ever-evolving resolution. Starting in 2021, SWOT will make a revolutionary leap in seeing details that impact our daily lives.

View the evolution of measuring sea surface height from space

SWOT data will be used to...

Provide high-resolution data on the transport of heat and carbon by Earth's ocean

Map ocean currents to benefit shipping and other maritime activities

Measure ocean conditions close to coasts, supporting operations affected by tides, currents, storm surge, sediment transport, and water quality issues

Help better manage fishery resources by providing improved data on properties of the ocean

Wide swath technology will make it possible

SWOT will cover Earth’s ocean, large lakes, rivers, and reservoirs at least twice every 21 days.

The SWOT mission is being jointly developed by NASA and Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA).