The NASA Agency Program Management Council unanimously approved the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) to proceed to into Phase D following a Key Decision Point-D (KDP-D) review at NASA Headquarters on November 8, 2011. Phase D is the final development phase of the NASA satellite mission life cycle prior to launch. This phase includes the final assembly and testing of the integrated satellite system and the launch of the satellite. The Agency Program Management Council conducts a Key Decision Point review of satellite system development prior to the initiation of each phase in the life cycle and the successful KDP-D represents a major milestone for LDCM. LDCM development is on schedule for a December 2012 launch date.

Influencing Factors: Satellites Help Decipher the Fate of West Antartica
An international team of researchers has combined satellite imagery and climate and ocean records to obtain the most detailed understanding yet of how the West Antarctic Ice Sheet – which contains enough ice to raise global sea level by 3.3 metres – is responding to climate change.