Landsat 9 is a remote sensing satellite operated by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The satellite was launched on February 11, 2020 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It is the last of the Landsat program’s eight satellites, and the most advanced one yet.
Landsat 9 carries two instruments: the Operational Land Imager 2 (OLI-2) and the Thermal Infrared Sensor 3 (TIRS-3). OLI-2 is a multispectral imager with 15 spectral bands in the visible, near-infrared, and shortwave-infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. TIRS-3 is a thermal infrared sensor with two spectral bands. These instruments will allow Landsat 9 to continue the 40+ year record of land cover monitoring started by Landsat 1 in 1972.
Landsat 9 was designed to have a mission life of at least 10 years. However, its design lifetime could potentially allow it to operate for much longer; both OLI-2 and TIRS-3 have been designed for possible service on future Landsat missions.