Objectives and Applications
3-year nominal mission life, 5-year goal. Continue the assessment of polar ice changes and measure vegetation canopy heights, allowing estimates of biomass and carbon in aboveground vegetation in conjunction with related missions, and allow measurements of solid earth properties.
Full Name
Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite 2
Mission Status
Operational (extended)
Mission Agencies
Launch Date
15 Sep 2018
Mission Links
EOL Date
Sep 2026
Orbit Type
Inclined, non-sun-synchronous
Orbit Period
97 minutes
Orbit Sense
TBD
Orbit Inclination
92 deg
Orbit Altitude
500 km
Orbit Longitude
Orbit LST
Repeat Cycle
91 days
NORAD Catalog #
International Designator
ATLAS - Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System |
| Category | Parameter | Instrument(s) |
| Atmosphere | Aerosols | ATLAS |
| Cloud type, amount and cloud top temperature | ATLAS |
| Cloud particle properties and profile | ATLAS |
| Land | Landscape topography | ATLAS |
| Vegetation | ATLAS |
| Snow & Ice | Ice sheet topography | ATLAS |
| Sea ice cover, edge and thickness | ATLAS |