Jason Series - European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites
Original (non-English) name
Acronym
Jason Series - EUMETSAT
Citation
Abstract
Satellite providing global sea surface height observations for climate monitoring and ocean and seasonal forecasts.
Jason satellites continue a time series of mean sea level rise measurements dating back to 1992.
Jason-3 operates in low Earth orbit at 1336km altitude. Its main instrument is a radar altimeter that provides measurements of sea surface height, wind speed at the ocean surface and significant wave height.
It is the fourth in the series of US/European ocean altimetry satellites (TOPEX-Poseidon, Jason-1, and -2) that, together, have built up a time series of global mean sea level that dates back to 1992.
The Jason satellites fulfil a key role as the reference mission against which ocean altimeters on board other satellites, such as Sentinel-3, are calibrated.
Jason-3 is the result of an international partnership between EUMETSAT, CNES, NOAA, NASA and the European Union, which funds European contributions to Jason-3 operations as part of its Copernicus programme.
EUMETSAT, CNES and NOAA process data from Jason-3, with EUMETSAT being responsible for data services to users of the EUMETSAT and EU Member States, on behalf of the EU Copernicus programme.
This international cooperation has continued with the Jason Continuity of Service programme, which fulfils the Copernicus Sentinel-6 mission.
Through the launch of two next-generation ocean altimetry satellites, in 2020 and 2025, Sentinel-6 will ensure the collection of high-quality sea-level measurement data for the reference mission into the next decade.