NASA's SWOT Satellite Main Instrument Offline

NASA's Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) spacecraft's main instrument as unexpectedly gone offline during commissioning.

The cause of the problem is yet to be determined, but engineers are working diligently to understand the situation and restore operations.

KARIN (Ka-band Radar Interferometer) is critical to the SWOT mission's goal of mapping surface water in two dimensions and analyzing how climate change is affecting the Earth's water levels.

The SWOT team remains optimistic about their mission and continues to work towards resolving the issue as soon as possible.

The SWOT mission is expected to provide high-resolution measurements of water heights in the world's oceans and freshwater bodies, offering valuable insight into the ocean's role in climate change and enabling communities to monitor and plan for changes in water resources and the impact of rising seas.