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Landsat Missions

Since 1972, Landsat satellites have continuously acquired images of the Earth’s land surface, providing uninterrupted data to help land managers and policymakers make informed decisions about natural resources and the environment. Data acquired by Landsat satellites are distributed from the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Project Information

There is a wealth of technical information and statistics about the Landsat Project, Landsat data, and Landsat science products. Statistics about Landsat data availability, distribution and usage are updated quarterly.

 

News about Landsat

Find the latest news about Landsat missions, data products, data access, and related topics. 

 

Landsat Products and Data Access

Landsat data products are continually being matured into the highest quality possible. These products allow scientists to provide improved and more useful results for land change and use analysis. Landsat data products held in the USGS archives can be searched and downloaded at no charge from a variety of data portals. 

 

Useful Tools & Viewers

Various files, tools, converters, and information to better understand Landsat acquisition and how to search for Landsat data and products.

 

International Collaboration

Landsat has always been an important component of U.S. foreign policy, science, and technology policy. A longstanding network of International Cooperators operate numerous International Ground Stations allowing direct reception and downlink from Landsat satellites. In 2010, International Cooperators started the effort to consolidate Landsat data acquired at worldwide ground station to the USGS archive.

 

Education and Outreach Resources

Landsat education and outreach resources can be used by students, teachers and the general public to further understand the fundamentals of remote sensing, Landsat technology, and how practical applications of Landsat data are helping specialists manage Earth's natural resources for a growing world population.

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News

Latest in Landsat May 2025 - Vol. 4 | Issue 4

Landsat at Work: Satellites Help with Complex Crop and Water Issues

Landsat at Work: Satellites Help with Complex Crop and Water Issues

Landsat MSS products with inaccurate brightness values to be reprocessed

Landsat MSS products with inaccurate brightness values to be reprocessed

Publications

Landsat surface product validation instrumentation: The BigMAC exercise

Users of Earth remotely sensed optical imagery are increasingly demanding a surface reflectance or surface temperature product instead of the top-of-atmosphere products that have been produced historically. Validating the accuracy of surface products remains a difficult task since it involves assessment across a range of atmospheric profiles, as well as many different land surface types...
Authors
Dennis Helder, Mahesh Shrestha, Joshua J. Mann, Emily M. Maddox, Jeffrey Irwin, Larry Leigh, Aaron Gerace, Rehman Eon, Lucy Falcon, David Conran, Nina G. Raqueno, Timothy Bauch, Christopher Durell, Brandon Russell

ECCOE Landsat quarterly calibration and validation report—Quarter 3, 2024

Executive Summary The U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Calibration and Validation (Cal/Val) Center of Excellence (ECCOE) focuses on improving the accuracy, precision, calibration, and product quality of remote-sensing data, leveraging years of multiscale optical system geometric and radiometric calibration and characterization experience. The ECCOE Landsat...
Authors
Md Obaidul Haque, Md Nahid Hasan, Ashish Shrestha, Rajagopalan Rengarajan, Mark Lubke, Jerad Shaw, Kathryn Lynn Ruslander, Esad Micijevic, Mike Choate, Cody Anderson, Jeff Clauson, Kurt Thome, Ed Kaita, Raviv Levy, Jeff Miller, Leibo Ding

ECCOE Landsat quarterly Calibration and Validation report—Quarter 2, 2024

Executive Summary The U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Calibration and Validation (Cal/Val) Center of Excellence (ECCOE) focuses on improving the accuracy, precision, calibration, and product quality of remote-sensing data, leveraging years of multiscale optical system geometric and radiometric calibration and characterization experience. The ECCOE Landsat...
Authors
Md Obaidul Haque, Md Nahid Hasan, Ashish Shrestha, Rajagopalan Rengarajan, Mark Lubke, Jerad Shaw, Kathryn Lynn Ruslander, Esad Micijevic, Mike Choate, Cody Anderson, Jeff Clauson, Kurt Thome, Ed Kaita, Raviv Levy, Jeff Miller, Leibo Ding

Science

link

Eyes on Earth Episode 134 – Data Accuracy: The Calibration and Validation of Landsat

Researchers and other satellite programs rely on the scientifically correct data from Landsat—every pixel and every spectral band that is measured.
Learn More

Eyes on Earth Episode 132 – Moving Forward with AI at EROS

Artificial intelligence (AI) is helping to make the science work at EROS better and more efficient, as we continue to develop valuable data products.
link

Eyes on Earth Episode 132 – Moving Forward with AI at EROS

Artificial intelligence (AI) is helping to make the science work at EROS better and more efficient, as we continue to develop valuable data products.
Learn More
link

Eyes on Earth Episode 131 – Using AI in Geospatial Work

Artificial intelligence (AI) is helping to make EROS data products better and more efficient.
Learn More

Multimedia

Landsat satellite image showing flooding along rivers and areas in the Lake Eyre basin, Australia
Landsat image displays recent flooding in the Lake Eyre Basin
Landsat image displays recent flooding in the Lake Eyre Basin
illustration of a Landsat satellite over the United States
Landsat's View of the USA image
Landsat's View of the USA image
Animation showing flooding in South Australia
Flooding at the Cullyamurra Waterhole April 2025
Flooding at the Cullyamurra Waterhole April 2025
a satellite image of a river's tributaries flowing into Lake St. Clair, Michigan
Lake St. Clair
Lake St. Clair
EarthNow! Viewer
EarthNow! Viewer
EarthNow! Viewer
A graphic showing the cumulative download volume of Landsat products
Landsat Product Downloads by Volume
Landsat Product Downloads by Volume
Primary uses of Landsat Data Unique Users
Primary uses of Landsat Data by Unique Users
Primary uses of Landsat Data by Unique Users
Primary Uses of Landsat Data by Volume
Primary Uses of Landsat Data by Volume
Primary Uses of Landsat Data by Volume
Graph of Landsat L1 Products Available in EarthExplorer
Available Landsat Level-1 Products
Available Landsat Level-1 Products
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