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Landsat 1 celebrated its 50th anniversary on July 23, 2022!

Landsat 1's first satellite image shared with the world was a view of Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. Over the course of five decades, Landsat satellites have captured the Dallas-Fort Worth area 2033 times, compiled into individual scenes in the Landsat Archive.

50 years of teamwork. 50 years of innovation. 50 years of resilience. In 1966, Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall announced his vision to create a program aimed at gathering facts about the natural resources of the Earth from Earth orbiting satellites. It was a bold proclamation. It was also an idea that worked and continues to work 50 years on.

Mississippi leads the U.S. in catfish production. The blue tinted shapes in these Landsat images mark ponds where catfish are raised.

The Landsat Ground Station Operators Working Group (LGSOWG) just held its 50th meeting in Petoria, South Africa. LGSOWG meetings have taken place in over 15 countries and participants from over 38 countries have attended, helping strengthen the Landsat mission through the exchange of ideas and strategic collaboration.

The Landsat program conceived of in the 1960s, has been running longer than any remote sensing program. The idea was simple: position a satellite in a nearly polar orbit fixed to the solar angle so that each daytime pass would cross the equator at roughly the same local time.

Europe's Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites revealed flooding at Tweed Heads, New South Wales. Heavy rain that persisted for days in late February 2022 caused widespread flooding on Australia's east coast.

A satellite image of the mountains that will host Olympic skiing events should display a snowy landscape, right? But the National Alpine Ski Centre and Sliding Centre 45 miles northwest of Beijing, China doesn't get much snowfall. Instead, the steep slopes are lined with manmade snow.

Landsat 7 had the honor of acquiring the satellite program’s 10 millionth scene in November 2021.

The scene captures changes to the Dead Sea, located in Southwest Asia. The Dead Sea is mainly fed by the Jordan River, which enters from the north. However, the water level of the Dead Sea has been falling due to irrigation projects and water use upstream.

The tallest volcano on the Galapagos Islands began erupting on January 6. The eruption sent lava flows down the mountainside and ash skyward. Like the Hawaiian Islands, the Galapagos are volcanic islands formed over an active hotspot. Wolf Volcano last erupted in May and June of 2015.

Recent activity has altered the landscape in northwestern China. Alluvial Fan, from the second Earth As Art collection, was acquired in 2002 by the ASTER sensor on NASA’s Terra satellite. It’s truly a fan favorite, often named one of the top images of the entire collection.

An atmospheric river swept through southern British Columbia on Canada's western edge, November 14, 2021. Parts of the province recorded nearly seven inches of rain in that 24 hour period. One week later, sediment carried by the Fraser River is visible in the Strait of Georgia. East of the strait near Abbotsford, the scene is even more dramatic.

Since 1972, Landsat satellites have continually acquired data about the Earth’s land surface. On November 23, 2021, the Landsat Archive that stores this vital record added its ten millionth scene.

The history of the area on display in that milestone scene offers insight into the value of the Landsat Program’s longevity to the scientific community.

Lake Powell on the border of Utah and Arizona supplies water to millions across the southwestern United States.

The newly launched Landsat 9 experienced a once-in-a-mission lifetime event where its orbit was directly below Landsat 8 for an “underfly.” For several days in the middle of November, the pair of Earth-observing satellites flew together, collecting data at the same time for the same sites and requiring simultaneous downlinking to global ground station antennas.

Landsat 9 launched into space on September 27th, 2021. The "first light" images arrived on October 31st. On that day the satellite captured: algal blooms in Lake Erie, the glaciers of the Himalayas, bush fires in Australia's Eucalypt Woodlands, coastal communities on the Florida panhandle, and deserts, mountains and mesas across the Navajo Nation.

The volcanic activity of Kilauea continues on the island of Hawaii. The latest eruption began within Halema'uma'u Crater on September 29. The previous eruption just ended in May 2021. Before that, major lava flows covered the eastern tip of Hawaii's Big Island in 2018. This latest eruption included vigorous fountaining up to 50-60m high.

Fissures opened on the Cumbre Vieja volcano on September 19. It's the first time it has erupted since 1971.

Landsat 9 Launch from Vandenberg: 3 Views

[Audio Descriptions]
A short look back at the the history of Landsat launches through the historic articles of the Lompoc Record publication.

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When #Landsat9 is launched from Lompoc, CA, a ULA Atlas V booster will lift it out over the Pacific Ocean, over 2,500 miles away in the first 15 minutes, rising quickly. If all goes as expected, about an hour later Landsat 9 will be in orbit, 438 miles high, falling around the Earth at 16,760 miles per hour, positioned to capture years of imagery.

A short look back at the the history of Landsat launches through the historic articles of the Lompoc Record publication.

View AD version.