GRACE-C

500 km

Orbit Altitude

200 km

Satellite Separation

Near-Polar Orbit

Ensuring global coverage to monitor climate impacts from the poles to the equator.

The Legacy Continues

Following two highly successful missions (GRACE and GRACE-FO), NASA has announced GRACE-C. This successor mission is designed to continue the invaluable legacy of its predecessors in collaboration with the German Aerospace Agency (DLR).

By tracking changes in Earth’s gravity field, GRACE-C provides a unique “weight scale” in the sky, monitoring the movement of water, ice, and land mass across the globe.

30 Years

Record of mass-change data

Collaboration

NASA & DLR Partnership

Mission Configuration

Twin Satellites

Identical spacecraft following each other in the same orbital path, sensitive enough to detect the distance change caused by gravity anomalies.

Decadal Continuity

Extending the critical mass-change data record into its 3rd decade, vital for long-term climate modeling and trend analysis.

Water Cycle Focus

Improving our understanding of how Earth’s water cycle is responding to climate change, including ice sheet melt and groundwater depletion.

Leadership from
CSR

The Center for Space Research (CSR) provides the scientific and engineering foundation for GRACE-C, leveraging decades of experience in satellite geodesy.

01 Precision Orbit Determination

02 Instrument Calibration & Health

03 Science Data System (SDS)

04 Mission System Engineering

Join the Research