NASA's SWOT Spacecraft Resumes Operations After Primary Instrument Shutdown

NASA's Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite has resumed its commissioning activities after the main scientific instrument, the Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn), was shut off in late January. According to a press release from the space agency, the KaRIn has been restored to regular operations using a backup power unit.

The SWOT mission team has been working diligently to analyse the situation and develop a plan to expedite the restoration of the KaRIn instrument to minimize overall risk to the mission. The team continues to monitor the KaRIn and overall operations as they progress with commissioning, calibration, and validation activities to ensure the performance of SWOT’s systems and science instruments.

The SWOT satellite is a joint project between NASA and the French space agency, CNES. The mission's goal is to make high-resolution measurements of the Earth's water cycle and ocean topography. It will provide global coverage of the world's oceans and freshwater bodies, including their heights and depths, which will be used to improve our understanding of the ocean and its role in the climate system.

The SWOT satellite was launched on December 16, 2022, and is currently in the commissioning phase. The mission's planned start of science operations is set for July 2023.