Satellite  Jason-2 Launch on  20/06/2008 End Date  Altitude  1336 km Inclination  66 ° Repetitivity  9.9156 days Agency  Cnes/Nasa/Eumetsat/Noaa

The JASON-2 mission was launched on 20 June 2008.

JASON-2 is a continuation of the TOPEX/POSEIDON and JASON-1 altimetry missions developed by CNES and NASA, providing very precise global measurements of the ocean surface topography since 1992.

JASON-2 is part of cooperation between CNES, EUMETSAT, NASA and NOAA. Space and ground segments of the Jason-2 mission follow the same concept as the JASON-1 mission.

Onboard the JASON-2 satellite, the payload is composed of :

- a Poseidon-3 radar altimeter supplied by CNES,
- an Advanced Microwave Radiometer (AMR) supplied by NASA/JPL,
- a triple system for precise orbit determination: the DORIS instrument (CNES), GPS receiver and a Laser Retroflector Array (LRA) (NASA).

In order to ensure continuity and optimal inter-calibration of observations over the long term, JASON-2 flies on the same orbit as JASON-1 and TOPEX/POSEIDON.

A more detailed description of the Jason-2 mission is found on the AVISO site.

 For CalVal, see also : http://www.aviso.oceanobs.com/en/calval/index.html