Landsat Missions
Landsat Satellite Missions
In a September 21, 1966 press release, Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall announced that the DOI was launching "Project EROS (Earth Resources Observation Satellites)". Udall's vision was to observe the Earth for the benefit of all. He stated that "the program will provide us with the opportunity to collect valuable resource data and use it to improve the quality of our environment."
The Department of the Interior, NASA, and the Department of Agriculture then embarked on an ambitious effort to develop and launch the first civilian Earth observation satellite. Their goal was achieved on July 23, 1972, with the launch of the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS-1), which was later renamed Landsat 1. The launches of Landsat 2, Landsat 3, and Landsat 4 followed in 1975, 1978, and 1982, respectively.
When Landsat 5 launched in 1984, no one could have predicted that the satellite would continue to deliver high quality, global data of Earth’s land surfaces for 28 years and 10 months, officially setting a new Guinness World Record for "longest-operating Earth observation satellite." Landsat 6 failed to achieve orbit in 1993.
Landsat 7 successfully launched in 1999, Landsat 8 in 2013, and both satellites continue to acquire data.
The Landsat 9 satellite is being developed toward a launch readiness date of September 2021. Landsat 9 is a joint mission of NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey. Landsat is a part of the USGS National Land Imaging (NLI) Program and Landsat data is processed and hosted at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center.
Since 1972, Landsat satellites have continuously acquired space-based images of the Earth’s land surface, providing uninterrupted data to help land managers and policymakers make informed decisions about our natural resources and the environment.
Related Content
Landsat Benefits, State By State
From mapping wildfires and permafrost thaw in Alaska to tracking algal blooms and Gypsy moth invasions in Ohio, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat Program offers an expansive list of benefits across all 50 States. Click the publications tab above to download each fact sheet!
September 4, 2012 - 9 million Landsat downloads...and counting
The use of Landsat data has exploded since the USGS began distributing the data at no cost via the internet.
EarthNow! Landsat Image Viewer
The EarthNow! Landsat Image Viewer displays imagery in near real-time as Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 orbit the Earth. Along with the near real-time video stream, EarthNow! also replays acquisition recordings from a list of previous Landsat overpasses. When Landsat 7 or Landsat 8 are out of viewing range of a ground station, the most recent overpass is displayed.
Imagery for Everyone - Timeline to Open Landsat Archive
Imagery for Everyone - Timeline to Open Landsat Archive
This announcement provided a timeline when the entire Landsat data archive would be opened for all users, to download data at no charge.
Visit this 2008 Landsat Headline.
An Idea That Worked
On September 21, 1966, Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall issued a press statement stating his belief that "the time is now right and urgent to apply space technology towards the solution of many pressing natural resources problems being compounded by population and industrial growth." This video provides a sense of America's long-term commitment to conservation,
Image of the Week — 100 Million Landsat Downloads
This Landsat 8 image from May 24th, 2017 shows an enthralling New Zealand landscape. Snow-capped mountain peaks, forests, farmland, and fog highlight the picturesque view of New Zealand's North Island. The scene was downloaded on March 9th, 2020 one of over 29,000 Landsat scenes downloaded worldwide that day. But this scene is special. It marks the 100 millionth downloaded
Landsat 8 Swath Animation
The Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center has created a video animation describing how Landsat 8 orbits the Earth. The video explains the 16-day cycle for capturing imagery of the entire world.
2013 L8 Countdown Launch and Separation
A short video from the Landsat 8 launch in 2013.
2013 Landsat Data Continuity Mission LDCM Hand off Video
A video on the 2013 Landsat Data Continuity Mission Landsat Data Continuity Mission hand off
2013 LDCM A New Era
A 2013 promotional video on Landsat Data Continuity Mission: A New Era
2013 LDCM Mission J Irons and Others
A 2013 video on the Landsat Data Continuity Mission
2013 United Launch Alliance ULA L8 Launch Highlights
A highlights video from the 2013 launch of Landsat 8.
A Vision to Observe Earth
Toward a space-based perspective of our planet in the 1960s
EarthView–Landslide Spreads 6 Miles Across Glacier Bay National Park
Two snapshots from Landsat show the extent of a landslide in an Alaska National Park.
EarthView–Landsat Monitors 1,800-Year-Old Redwoods
Landsat gives us a view of the legacy of logging near the Redwood Parks in California.
EarthView–Crater Lake Image Shows Potential of Sentinel-2A
Sentinel 2A's coverage shows it can be a great complement to Landsat imagery.
EarthView–Landsat Reveals Scar of ‘Good Burn’ at Guadalupe Mountains
Not all wildfires are bad, such as the one in this week's EarthView...
EarthView–Kilauea, Mauna Loa Volcanoes Shape the Face of Hawaii
3 Satellites, 2 Volcanoes, 1 Stunning Series: This Week's EarthView!
EarthView–Water, Gravity Carve Out Magnificent Canyonlands
Landsat 8 gives us a singular view of Canyonlands National Park.
EarthView–Fire and Rebirth: Landsat Tells Yellowstone's Story
Time may not heal all wounds, but it did a good job with this Yellowstone wildfire...
Economic valuation of landsat imagery
Landsat satellites have been operating since 1972, providing a continuous global record of the Earth’s land surface. The imagery is currently available at no cost through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). A previous USGS study estimated that Landsat imagery provided users an annual benefit of $2.19 billion in 2011, with U.S. users accounting for...
Straub, Crista L.; Koontz, Stephen R.; Loomis, John B.
Landsat Collections
In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey reorganized the Landsat archive into a tiered collection structure, which ensures that Landsat Level-1 products provide a consistent archive of known data quality to support time-series analyses and data “stacking” while controlling continuous improvement of the archive and access to all data as they are...
Landsat brings understanding to the impact of industrialization
In his 1963 book, “The Quiet Crisis,” former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall lamented what he called the decline of natural resources in the United States under the advancements of industrialization and urbanization.
Landsat helps bolster food security
One of the cruelest, most complex narratives in the world today (2019) is written in the hunger of sub-Saharan Africa. When famine is the only yield from the scorched Earth, survival often depends on a heart-rending calculation—how far is the distant feeding center and how close is the nearest well?
Landsat plays a key role in reducing hunger on earth
The United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs predicts 9.7 billion people will sit down every day to the global dinner table by 2050. If this prediction is correct, the world is going to need more crops, more livestock, and more efficient and sustainable agricultural practices.
Urban planners and urban geographers turn to Landsat for answers
Government organizations that manage and mitigate the continued growth of cities are looking increasingly to the sky for assistance.
Landsat—The watchman that never sleeps
In western North America, where infestations of mountain pine beetles continue to ravage thousands of acres of forest lands, Landsat satellites bear witness to the onslaught in a way that neither humans nor most other satellites can see.
Young, Steven
When wildfire damage threatens humans, Landsat provides answers
A wildfire’s devastation of forest and rangeland seldom ends when the last embers die. In the western United States, rain on a scorched mountainside can turn ash into mudslides. Debris flows unleashed by rainstorms can put nearby homes into harm’s way and send people scrambling for safety. The infrared capabilities of Landsat satellite imagery...
Young, Steven
Mapping water use—Landsat and water resources in the United States
Using Landsat satellite data, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey have helped to refine a technique called evapotranspiration mapping to measure how much water crops are using across landscapes and through time. These water-use maps are created using a computer model that integrates Landsat and weather data.Crucial to the process is the...
Johnson, Rebecca L.
Landsat—Earth observation satellites
Since 1972, Landsat satellites have continuously acquired space-based images of the Earth’s land surface, providing data that serve as valuable resources for land use/land change research. The data are useful to a number of applications including forestry, agriculture, geology, regional planning, and education. Landsat is a joint effort of...