(Credits CNES/NASA)
| Satellite |
Jason-1 |
| Launched |
7 December 2001 |
| Mission |
Measure sea surface height |
| Altitude |
1336 km |
| Inclination |
66° (non-sun-synchronous) |
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Jason-1 is the follow-on to Topex/Poseidon, whose main features it has inherited (orbit, instruments, measurement accuracy, etc.), and is being developed jointly by CNES and NASA. Satellite control and data processing operations are performed by a new ground segment.
On mid-February, 2009 (on the beginning of cycle 262), The Jason-1's orbit is shifted midway between its original ground tracks (corresponding to those of Topex/Poseidon after 2002) while OSTM/Jason-2 still keeps the original ground tracks (those of Topex/Poseidon before 2002 and Jason-1 before February 2009). OSTM/Jason-2 and Jason-1 have also a time lag of approximatively 5-days. This new tandem configuration better is better suited for real-time applications.
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