Swot is the first space mission that will study nearly all of the water on the Earth's surface. Its instruments will measure the height of water in our planet's lakes, rivers, reservoirs and oceans with greater precision than ever before. This will help facilitate water management decisions and also provide new information about the Earth's water cycle. The data from the satellite will help to better understand rising sea levels and changing coastlines in a changing climate.
The satellite is planned to be launched on December 15, 2022 (12h46 CET, 11h46 UTC). After the launch, a first check-up will be done. Nadir altimeter should be switched on on Jan, 9, and the main KarIn instrument on Jan. 16. The Calval phase will start in March, for three more months, with the spacecraft still on the 1-day calval orbit. Then the satellite will be moved to its operational 21-day orbit. The data release to the wider community is envisionned in 14 months.