Objectives and Applications
3-year nominal mission life, currently in extended operations. Monitors mass balance of polar ice sheets and their contribution to global sea level change. Secondary goals: cloud heights and vertical structure of clouds/aerosols; roughness, reflectivity, vegetation heights, snow-cover.
Full Name
Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite
Mission Status
Mission complete
Mission Agencies
Launch Date
12 Jan 2003
Mission Links
EOL Date
14 Aug 2010
Orbit Type
Inclined, non-sun-synchronous
Orbit Period
97 minutes
Orbit Sense
N/A
Orbit Inclination
94 deg
Orbit Altitude
600 km
Orbit Longitude
Orbit LST
Repeat Cycle
183 days
NORAD Catalog #
International Designator
GLAS - Geoscience Laser Altimeter System |
| Category | Parameter | Instrument(s) |
| Atmosphere | Aerosols | GLAS |
| Cloud type, amount and cloud top temperature | GLAS |
| Cloud particle properties and profile | GLAS |
| Land | Landscape topography | GLAS |
| Snow & Ice | Ice sheet topography | GLAS |
| Sea ice cover, edge and thickness | GLAS |