OSTM / Jason-2
Ocean Surface Topography Mission (NASA / CNES / NOAA / EUMETSAT)
Decommissioned · 2019- Operator
- NASA JPL, CNES, NOAA, EUMETSAT
- Launched
- June 20, 2008
- Decommissioned
- October 2019
- Mission type
- Earth observation — ocean surface topography / radar altimetry
- Primary instrument
- Poseidon-3 radar altimeter
The Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM) on the Jason-2 satellite was the third in a U.S.–European series of satellite missions designed to measure sea surface height. A joint effort between NASA, CNES, NOAA, and EUMETSAT, it launched on June 20, 2008 from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Like its predecessors, OSTM/Jason-2 used high-precision radar altimetry to measure the distance between the satellite and the ocean surface to within a few centimeters. These observations of ocean topography provide information about global sea level, the speed and direction of ocean currents, and heat stored in the ocean — all critical inputs for weather forecasting, hurricane intensity prediction, and climate research.
The satellite operated for more than eleven years before being decommissioned in October 2019.
Alethium's role
Alethium contributed to the OSTM/Jason-2 ground system as part of its continued JPL Jason-series support — modernizing to a single-baseline Java 1.8 codebase with ODBC integration and dynamic external earth-terminal communication.