Landsat Next Defined

Landsat Next Defined

June 29, 2023

Landsat Next is on the horizon—the new mission will not only ensure continuity of the longest space-based record of Earth’s land surface, it will fundamentally transform the breadth and depth of actionable information freely available to end users. Take a look at the new capabilities that will define the next Landsat mission.

Read More »
Landsat Next Defined

Landsat Next Defined

June 29, 2023

Landsat Next is on the horizon—the new mission will not only ensure continuity of the longest space-based record of Earth’s land surface, it will fundamentally transform the breadth and depth of actionable information freely available to end users. Take a look at the new capabilities that will define the next Landsat mission.

Read More »

“The availability and accessibility of remotely sensed digital imagery obtained from Landsat satellites allow coastal scientist—and more importantly community members—the opportunity to map, evaluate and continuously monitor shoreline movement at regular intervals given the unprecedented pace of Arctic climate change.”


— Dr. Ravi Darwin Sankar, geologist with the Arctic Institute of North America & the University of Calgary in Canada , Dec 12, 2019
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“From now on, we’re going to be able to track all of the different types of changes in glaciers – there’s so much science to extract from the data.”


— Ted Scambos, a glaciologist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, talking about the Landsat 8-based GoLIVE project , Dec 12, 2016
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“This global census can help identify other lakes in need of monitoring or remediation, Dr. Shugar said. ‘We hope that it allows governments to see where the hot spots might be for glacial lakes growing in the future.'”


— Dan Shugar, glaciologist at the University of Calgary, speaking of his Landsat-based glacial lake inventory , Oct 2, 2020
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“Landsat can see the surface—human settlements, forests, coastal systems. It helps us understand crucial areas of biodiversity on land, crop yields, how to manage our resources, how to protect them.”


— Ver Chirayath, National Geographic Explorer , Sep 9, 2022
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“There is no better source of information [than Landsat] to document the changes happening to our planet’s landscapes­—and we need this continuous record to help our communities become more resilient to the dramatic effects we are seeing.”


— Tanya Trujillo, Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, U.S. Department of the Interior , Jul 21, 2022
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“We cannot replace Landsat with Copernicus. In fact the programs complement each other. The world has been benefitting from Landsat data for the past 40 years now. It is really a unique and extremely valuable data source that has provided knowledge and understanding of the planet.”


— Josef Aschbacher, Director of EO Programs, European Space Agency , Oct 3, 2018
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“Landsat is currently the only satellite program to provide a consistent, cross-calibrated set of records stretching back over more than four decades, which in turn means the program occupies a key position in the provision of terrestrial essential climate variables.”


— Belward and Skøien , Apr 28, 2014
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“The success of a mission, and the societal benefits it creates, relies on many factors, including design, manufacture, launch, and operation of the sensor. However, it also includes data acquisition, accessibility, availability, and continuity, all of which are embodied by the Landsat program.”


— Yuan et al. , Aug 1, 2020
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“Over the past 50 years, eight Landsat satellites have circled the planet, which have helped to save and improve lives and support our economy. NASA will continue to work with USGS to improve access to Landsat’s unprecedented 50-year record and build on the program’s legacy.”


— Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator , Jul 21, 2022
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“Another landmark program within USGS is called Landsat… USGS made a decision…to be able to open up that data, make it free, and the scientific discoveries, the articles, the access, the utility of that data just went absolutely through the roof. So it’s been a really wonderful story about how opening up scientific data allows more discovery, gets people more excited… We really do try to put our data out there in a way that it is usable by the most amount of people as possible.”


— Mike Tischler, Director of USGS National Geospatial Program , May 15, 2018
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“This is an example of something government can do well: investing in infrastructure that broadly benefits society, and provides a stable platform for the development of businesses and economic activity. Landsat is the data equivalent of the interstate highway system, a public good that has spawned a thriving for-profit remote sensing industry in the US and beyond.”


— Kimbra Cutlip, SkyTruth , Oct 3, 2016
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“Because Landsat’s been operating for so long—thermal imaging has been enabled since the 1980s—we can study how patterns in water use have changed over the landscape over long periods of time as the climate has changed and as land use patterns have changed. So Landsat has been really a critical sensor for our work.”


— Dr. Martha Anderson, USDA Researchers and Landsat Science Team Member , Apr 22, 2020
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“Landsat is history’s longest-running Earth imaging project. Its enormous data set cements it as an industry standard.”


— Frank Warmerdam , Mar 19, 2015
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“The spectrum of observations will be more finely divided with the next Landsat satellites; that will allow for even greater and more precise differentiation of the types of land cover on the surface of Earth.”


— Jim Irons, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Emeritus, speaking to BBC about Landsat Next , Apr 18, 2024
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“If it weren’t for Landsat, we wouldn’t be where we are in terms of understanding our Earth.”


— Alistair Miller, head of imagery products and partnerships, Mapbox Inc. , Jul 29, 2022
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“Even though I have a book coming out about the Moon Landing, I’ll say it: Landsat is likely the greatest, most impactful, yet under-appreciated, accomplishment of the entire space age.”


— Dr. Danny Bednar, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, Western University , Jan 22, 2020
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“It’s a fundamental resource for the Australian community. It’s used at local government level, state government level, and national levels. It’s our most important Earth-observing satellite with out a question in my mind.”


— Adam Lewis, Geoscience Australia’s Acting Chief Scientist, on the Australian archive of Landsat data , Jan 2, 2018
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“Landsat provides a global view of the the worlds alpine glaciers and enables us to track their retreat in ways that would be difficult without this important environmental time series.”


— Andrew Klein, Texas A & M University , Dec 14, 2016
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“Once you start playing around with Landsat, it kind of becomes your hammer.”


— Al Shaw, a ProPublica investigative geo-journalist who worked on the "Losing Ground" project , Mar 10, 2016
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“Landsat has allowed managers to observe regional trends in kelp canopy area and biomass across more than 30 years. This is very valuable.”


— Meredith McPherson, University of California, Santa Cruz , Jun 4, 2021
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“With Landsat we can see temperature of individual fields and how it varies from field-to-field. The temperature of the land surface gives us a good indication of how rapidly water is evaporating off that surface. And this is really important for knowing how healthy the crops are and also for supplying information for irrigators: how much water was used last week and how much do they need to replenish in the current week to keep the crops healthy.”


— Martha Anderson, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Landsat Science Team member , Feb 5, 2018
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“Landsat is the only operational satellite that combines thermal and optical data at the spatial resolution needed to assess water use and water rights, which is often at the level of individual agricultural fields.”


— OpenET website , Jun 1, 2023
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“Landsat is widely considered to be a crucial national asset, comparable to the satellite-based GPS system and National Weather Service satellites. Ready access to Landsat images supplies a reliable common record of Earth conditions that fosters the mutual understanding of environmental challenges by citizens, researchers, and decision makers worldwide.”


— USGS press release , Jan 14, 2015
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“If you really want to have a long history of understanding any process in the Earth, Landsat is where you should go.”


— Tasso Azevedo, MapBiomas Initiative , Apr 19, 2021
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ABOUT LANDSAT

The NASA/USGS Landsat Program provides the longest continuous space-based record of Earth’s land in existence. Landsat data give us information essential for making informed decisions about Earth’s resources and environment.