SCOPE

Three Decades of Discovery

01

GRACE

2002 — 2017

The original pioneer. Established the baseline for tracking groundwater, melting ice sheets, and ocean mass changes via inter-satellite ranging.

02

GRACE-FO

2018 — Present

The “Follow-on” mission. Successfully introduced the Laser Range Interferometer (LRI) technology, significantly increasing measurement precision.

03

GRACE-C

2028 Launch

The Continuity mission. Bridging the record into 2040 to capture the long-term acceleration of the global water cycle and climate shift.

Orbital Architecture

Precision orbit determination is the core of gravity recovery. GRACE-C leverages a twin-satellite tandem to map Earth’s density variations.

Laser Ranging

Micrometer-level accuracy over 200km separation.

Global Cadence

Full Earth gravity snapshot updated every 30 days.

500 km

Orbit Altitude

200 km

Separation Baseline

90°

Polar Inclination

GFZ

Launch Year

The CSR Contribution

Scientists at the Center for Space Research (CSR) are the architects of the mission’s data integrity. From system engineering during development to real-time inflight calibrations, CSR ensures that every raw signal is translated into meaningful climate data.

01 Advanced System Engineering

02 High-Frequency Inflight Calibrations

03 Science Operations Management

04 Global Science Data System (SDS) Effort

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