BackForward Satellite Programme: Soil Moisture Active-Passive 

Programme details
Programme description
  • Single-satellite programme, addressing hydrology.
  • Programme initially framed in the NASA ESSP (Earth System Science Pathfinder) and then in the Earth Science Decadal Survey: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) leader.
  • The platform is actively stabilised over 3 axes.
  • The design life time of the satellite is 3 years.
  • Sunsynchronous dawn-dusk orbit at 6:00.
  • See details at http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov.
Data circulation
  • Data downlinked to a composite system of ground stations.
  • Data processing and distribution from NASA JPL and GSFC. 
Agencies NASA
Programme lifetime 2015 - 2026
Associated satellites and instruments

Note: red tag => no longer operational , green tag => operational , blue tag => planned

  • Soil Moisture Active-Passive