NASA has been gaining momentum in recent years as investment into space has ramped up in the US. In 2022, missions dealt with the farthest, closest, hottest and coldest conditions in the universe.
NASA’s Landsat satellites have been monitoring changes on Earth’s landscape for 50 years.
NASA illustration
When Indigenous peoples lose their river flow to dams, satellite programs like Landsat – which is celebrating its 50th anniversary – can help them fight for their resources.
Earth observation satellites can measure millimetre changes in sea level and track deforestation in near-real time.
Rapid loss of species like these Spix’s macaws, considered extinct in the wild, may represent the sixth mass extinction in Earth’s history.
PATRICK PLEUL/DPA/AFP via Getty Images
A new plan targets areas around the world that can store carbon and protect large numbers of species. It calls for preserving these lands, working with Indigenous peoples and connecting wild areas.
A scientist whose Kangaroo Island home was threatened by the summer’s bushfires says there is a ‘knowledge gap’ between satellite data and useful maps that can protect communities.
A section of Beijing Daxing International Airport from the first 3D images released by China National Space Administration using data from the recently launched Gaofen-7 Earth observation satellite, which can resolve objects less than a metre wide.
China National Space Administration/Xinhua
China has embraced the concept of Digital Earth – the use of data from satellites to create a visual map of what’s happening at every point on the planet – and is now a key player in making it happen.
Sunset at Australia’s Cape Grim observatory, one of the key global background monitoring sites for CFC-11.
Paul Krummel/CSIRO
For several years, emissions of CFCs have been rising, in apparent defiance of a global ban in place since 2010. A new global detective effort has traced the source to two eastern Chinese provinces.
An aerial photo of Borneo shows deforestation and patches of remaining forest.
Greg Asner
A new study lays out a road map for protecting and restoring 50% of Earth’s surface, targeted to preserve biodiversity and maximize natural removal of carbon from the atmosphere.
The key to predicting drought is knowing how much water is in the soil, as well as how much rain is on the way.
AAP Image
New satellite-based research shows there is at least as much value in knowing how much water is left for plants to use as there is in knowing how much rain may be on the way.
The vast amounts of data from more than 650 Earth observation satellites are transforming how we see and shape urban landscapes.
Pitney Bowes Australia courtesy PSMA
Last summer one of Antarctica’s floating ice shelves calved an iceberg the size of Delaware – but scientists say other less dramatic changes reveal more about how and why Antarctica is changing.
Three new reports examine Australia’s existing space capabilities, set them in the light of international developments, and identify growth areas and models for Australia to pursue.
136319147@N08/flickr
Space is becoming cheaper, more attractive to investors and increasingly important in our data-rich economy. It’s time Australia mapped a path forward.
Carbon dioxide flux over China, measured by NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 satellite.
NASA
New data from a NASA satellite show in unprecedented detail the flow of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Future satellites should even be able to detect the signatures of individual power stations.
NovaSAR-S will image Earth in all weather conditions, both day and night (computer generated image).
SSTL
Australia will be able to guide the Earth observation satellite “NovaSAR” as it passes over our region - giving us a new level of control over the data we need to solve local problems.
The NASA satellite Landsat-8 collects frequent global multispectral imagery of the Earth’s surface.
NASA
Weather forecasting, bushfire management, power and water supply: Australia relies on earth observations to the tune of A$5 billion a year. But we have very little control over the data we get.