GRACE-FO

Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) is a NASA–German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) mission launched on May 22, 2018. Its twin satellites fly roughly 220 km apart, measuring changes in their separation with microwave ranging while GPS and accelerometers help distinguish gravity from orbital position and non-gravitational forces. Monthly gravity-field maps reveal redistribution of mass, especially water in ice sheets, glaciers, land and oceans. Groundwater estimates combine these observations with hydrological modeling to separate water-storage components over large regions. The mission also demonstrates laser ranging interferometry, building on the original 2002–2017 GRACE record. The Center for Space Research at The University of Texas at Austin is a principal partner in the mission’s Science Data System. It produces operational Level-2 gravity-field solutions and mascon products and supports science operations, instrument-performance assessment, mission planning and gravity-field processing research.