ICESAT-2 (Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite 2) is a satellite mission for measuring Earth’s ice sheet mass balance, cloud and land topography, and vegetation characteristics. The launch of ICESAT-2 was on September 15, 2018. The primary instrument on board ICESAT-2 is the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), which measures elevation by timing how long it takes photons to travel from the satellite to Earth and back again. ATLAS will measure the height of Earth’s surface – including forests, mountains, glaciers, lakes, and oceans – with unprecedented accuracy and detail.
In addition to its main science goals, ICESAT-2 will also provide valuable data for a number of other applications including sea level rise monitoring, disaster response mapping, agricultural yield prediction, and infrastructure planning.
The ICESAT-2 mission is a follow-on to the original ICESat mission , which operated from 2003 to 2009. The new satellite has improved measurements capabilities and will provide continuity of data for trend analysis as well as allow for comparisons between the two missions.