Oceanography Satellite Jason-1 Decommissioned

Long-Running NASA/CNES Ocean Satellite Takes Final Bow

"The curtain has come down on a superstar of the satellite oceanography world that played the "Great Blue Way" of the world's ocean for 11 1/2 years. The successful joint NASA and Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) Jason-1 ocean altimetry satellite was decommissioned this week following the loss of its last remaining transmitter.

Jason-1 has been a resounding scientific, technical, and international success," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "The mission met all of its requirements, performed an extended mission and demonstrated how a long-term climate data record should be established from successively launched satellites. Since launch, it has charted nearly 1.6 inches (4 centimeters) of rise in global sea levels, a critical measure of climate change and a direct result of global warming. The Jason satellite series provides the most accurate measure of this impact, which is felt all over the globe."

Marc's note: While Jason-1 is decommissioned, Jason-2 continues operation and Jason-3 will be launched sometime in 2015.