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NASA Instrument on Firefly’s Blue Ghost Lander to Study Lunar Interior
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By NASA
As part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission One lander will carry 10 NASA science and technology instruments to the Moon’s near side. Credit: Firefly Aerospace Carrying NASA science and technology to the Moon as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 is targeting launch Wednesday, Jan. 15. The mission will lift off on a SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Live launch coverage will air on NASA+ with prelaunch events starting Monday, Jan. 13. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media. Follow all events at:
https://www.nasa.gov/live/
After the launch, Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander will spend approximately 45 days in transit to the Moon before landing on the lunar surface in early March. The lander will carry 10 NASA science investigations to further our understanding of the Moon’s environment and help prepare for future human missions to the lunar surface, as part of the agency’s Moon to Mars exploration approach.
Science investigations on this flight aim to test and demonstrate lunar subsurface drilling technology, regolith sample collection capabilities, global navigation satellite system abilities, radiation tolerant computing, and lunar dust mitigation methods. The data captured could benefit humans on Earth by providing insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces impact Earth.
The deadline has passed for media accreditation for in-person coverage of this launch. The agency’s media accreditation policy is available online. More information about media accreditation is available by emailing: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov.
Full coverage of this mission is as follows (all times Eastern):
Monday, Jan. 13
2:30 p.m. – Lunar science media teleconference with the following participants:
Chris Culbert, CLPS program manager, NASA’s Johnson Space Center Maria Banks, CLPS project scientist, NASA Johnson Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website:
https://www.nasa.gov/live/
Media may ask questions via phone only. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 1:30 p.m. EST Jan. 13, at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.
Tuesday, Jan. 14
1 p.m. – Lunar delivery readiness media teleconference with the following participants:
Nicola Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters Jason Kim, CEO, Firefly Aerospace Julianna Scheiman, director, NASA science missions, SpaceX Mark Burger, launch weather officer, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website:
https://www.nasa.gov/live/
Media may ask questions via phone only. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 12 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.
Wednesday, Jan. 15
12:30 a.m. – Launch coverage begins on NASA+ and the agency’s website.
1:11 a.m. – Launch
NASA Launch Coverage
Audio only of the media teleconferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, or -7135. On launch day, the full mission broadcast can be heard on -1220 and -1240, while the countdown net only can be heard on -7135 beginning approximately one hour before the mission broadcast begins.
On launch day, a “tech feed” of the launch without NASA TV commentary will be carried on the NASA TV media channel.
NASA Website Launch Coverage
Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 12:30 a.m. EST Jan. 15, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our launch blog for updates.
NASA Virtual Guests for Launch
Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. Registrants will receive mission updates and activities by email, including curated mission resources, schedule updates, and a virtual guest passport stamp following a successful launch. Print your passport and get ready to add your stamp!
Watch, Engage on Social Media
Let people know you’re following the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtag #Artemis. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:
X: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASAArtemis, @NASAMoon
Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, NASAArtemis
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASAArtemis
Coverage en Español
Did you know NASA has a Spanish section called NASA en español? Check out NASA en español on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for additional mission coverage.
Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo o Messod Bendayan a: antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov o messod.c.bendayan@nasa.gov.
For media inquiries relating to the launch provider, please contact SpaceX’s communications department by emailing: media@spacex.com. For media inquiries relating to the CLPS provider, Firefly Aerospace, please contact Firefly’s communication department by emailing: press@fireflyspace.com.
For more information about the agency’s CLPS initiative, see:
https://www.nasa.gov/clps
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Karen Fox / Alise Fisher
Headquarters, Washington
301-286-6284 / 202-358-1275
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov
Natalia Riusech
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
nataila.s.riusech@nasa.gov
Antonia Jaramillo
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-501-8425
antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov
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By NASA
5 Min Read NASA and Italian Space Agency Test Future Lunar Navigation Technology
The potentially record-breaking Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) payload will be the first known demonstration of GNSS signal reception on and around the lunar surface. Credits: NASA/Dave Ryan As NASA celebrates 55 years since the historic Apollo 11 crewed lunar landing, the agency also is preparing new navigation and positioning technology for the Artemis campaign, the agency’s modern lunar exploration program.
A technology demonstration helping pave the way for these developments is the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) payload, a joint effort between NASA and the Italian Space Agency to demonstrate the viability of using existing GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signals for positioning, navigation, and timing on the Moon.
During its voyage on an upcoming delivery to the Moon as part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative, LuGRE would demonstrate acquiring and tracking signals from both the U.S. GPS and European Union Galileo GNSS constellations during transit to the Moon, during lunar orbit, and finally for up to two weeks on the lunar surface itself.
The Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) will investigate whether signals from two Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) constellations, the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) and European Union’s Galileo, can be tracked at the Moon and used for positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT). The LuGRE payload is one of the first demonstrations of GNSS signal reception and navigation on and around the lunar surface, an important milestone for how lunar missions will access navigation and positioning technology. If successful, LuGRE would demonstrate that spacecraft can use signals from existing GNSS satellites at lunar distances, reducing their reliance on ground-based stations on the Earth for lunar navigation.
Today, GNSS constellations support essential services like navigation, banking, power grid synchronization, cellular networks, and telecommunications. Near-Earth space missions use these signals in flight to determine critical operational information like location, velocity, and time.
NASA and the Italian Space Agency want to expand the boundaries of GNSS use cases. In 2019, the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission broke the world record for farthest GPS signal acquisition 116,300 miles from the Earth’s surface — nearly half of the 238,900 miles between Earth and the Moon. Now, LuGRE could double that distance.
“GPS makes our lives safer and more viable here on Earth,” said Kevin Coggins, NASA deputy associate administrator and SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) Program manager at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “As we seek to extend humanity beyond our home planet, LuGRE should confirm that this extraordinary technology can do the same for us on the Moon.”
NASA, Firefly, Qascom, and Italian Space Agency team members examine LuGRE hardware in a clean room.Firefly Aerospace Reliable space communication and navigation systems play a vital role in all NASA missions, providing crucial connections from space to Earth for crewed and uncrewed missions alike. Using a blend of government and commercial assets, NASA’s Near Space and Deep Space Networks support science, technology demonstrations, and human spaceflight missions across the solar system.
“This mission is more than a technological milestone,” said Joel Parker, policy lead for positioning, navigation, and timing at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “We want to enable more and better missions to the Moon for the benefit of everyone, and we want to do it together with our international partners.”
This mission is more than a technological milestone. We want to enable more and better missions to the Moon for the benefit of everyone…
JOEL PARKER
PNT Policy Lead at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
The data-gathering LuGRE payload combines NASA-led systems engineering and mission management with receiver software and hardware developed by the Italian Space Agency and their industry partner Qascom — the first Italian-built hardware to operate on the lunar surface.
Any data LuGRE collects is intended to open the door for use of GNSS to all lunar missions, not just those by NASA or the Italian Space Agency. Approximately six months after LuGRE completes its operations, the agencies will release its mission data to broaden public and commercial access to lunar GNSS research.
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission One lander is carrying 10 NASA science and technology instruments to the Moon as part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign.Firefly Aerospace “A project like LuGRE isn’t about NASA alone,” said NASA Goddard navigation and mission design engineer Lauren Konitzer. “It’s something we’re doing for the benefit of humanity. We’re working to prove that lunar GNSS can work, and we’re sharing our discoveries with the world.”
The LuGRE payload is one of 10 NASA-funded science experiments launching to the lunar surface on this delivery through NASA’s CLPS initiative. Through CLPS, NASA works with American companies to provide delivery and quantity contracts for commercial deliveries to further lunar exploration and the development of a sustainable lunar economy. As of 2024, the agency has 14 private partners on contract for current and future CLPS missions.
Demonstrations like LuGRE could lay the groundwork for GNSS-based navigation systems on the lunar surface. Bridging these existing systems with emerging lunar-specific navigation solutions has the potential to define how all spacecraft navigate lunar terrain in the Artemis era.
Artist’s concept rendering of LuGRE aboard the Blue Ghost lunar lander receiving signals from Earth’s GNSS constellations.NASA/Dave Ryan The payload is a collaborative effort between NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and the Italian Space Agency. Funding and oversight for the LuGRE payload comes from the agency’s SCaN Program office. It was chosen by NASA as one of 10 funded research and technology demonstrations for delivery to the lunar surface by Firefly Aerospace Inc, a flight under the agency’s CLPS initiative.
About the Author
Korine Powers
Senior Writer and Education LeadKorine Powers, Ph.D. is a writer for NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program office and covers emerging technologies, commercialization efforts, education and outreach, exploration activities, and more.
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Last Updated Jan 09, 2025 EditorGoddard Digital TeamContactKorine Powerskorine.powers@nasa.govLocationNASA Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms
Goddard Space Flight Center Artemis Blue Ghost (lander) Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Communicating and Navigating with Missions Earth's Moon Near Space Network Space Communications & Navigation Program View the full article
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By NASA
Este mapa de la Tierra en 2024 muestra las anomalías de la temperatura global de la superficie, es decir, cuánto más caliente o más fría estuvo cada región del planeta en comparación con el promedio de 1951 a 1980. Las temperaturas normales se muestran en blanco, las superiores a las normales en rojo y naranja, y las inferiores a las normales en azul. Una versión animada de este mapa muestra la evolución de las anomalías de la temperatura global a lo largo del tiempo, desde 1880. Descarga esta visualización del Estudio de Visualización Científica del Centro Goddard de la NASA: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5450.Crédito: Estudio de Visualización Científica de la NASA Read this release in English here.
En el año 2024, la temperatura promedio de la superficie de la Tierra fue la más cálida que se haya registrado, según un análisis liderado por científicos de la NASA.
“Una vez más, se ha batido el récord de temperatura: 2024 fue el año más cálido desde que se empezaron a llevar registros en 1880”, dijo el administrador de la NASA, Bill Nelson. “Entre las temperaturas récord y los incendios forestales que amenazan actualmente nuestros centros y personal en California, nunca ha sido más importante entender nuestro planeta cambiante”.
Las temperaturas globales del 2024 estuvieron 2,30 grados Fahrenheit (1,28 grados Celsius) por encima del promedio para el período de referencia de la NASA (de 1951 a 1980), superando el récord establecido en 2023. El nuevo máximo histórico llega después de 15 meses consecutivos (junio de 2023 a agosto de 2024) de récords de temperaturas mensuales, una racha de calor sin precedentes.
Científicos de la NASA también estiman que en el 2024 la Tierra estuvo alrededor de 2,65 grados Fahrenheit (1,47 grados Celsius) más cálida que el promedio de mediados del siglo XIX (1850-1900). Durante más de la mitad del 2024, las temperaturas promedio superaron en 1,5 grados Celsius el nivel de referencia, y el promedio anual, con incertidumbres matemáticas, podría haber superado el nivel por primera vez.
“El Acuerdo de París sobre el cambio climático establece esfuerzos para mantenerse por debajo del nivel de 1,5 grados a largo plazo. Para poner eso en perspectiva, las temperaturas durante los períodos cálidos en la Tierra hace tres millones de años —cuando el nivel del mar era decenas de metros más alto que hoy— eran solo unos 3 grados Celsius más cálidos que los niveles preindustriales”, dijo Gavin Schmidt, director del Instituto Goddard de Investigaciones Espaciales (GISS, por sus siglas en inglés) de la NASA en Nueva York. “Estamos a medio camino de alcanzar niveles de calor del Plioceno en apenas 150 años”.
Los científicos han concluido que la tendencia al calentamiento de las últimas décadas está siendo impulsada por el dióxido de carbono, el metano y otros gases de efecto invernadero que atrapan el calor. Según un análisis internacional reciente, en 2022 y 2023 la Tierra registró un aumento récord de las emisiones de dióxido de carbono procedentes de combustibles fósiles. La concentración de dióxido de carbono en la atmósfera ha aumentado desde los niveles preindustriales en el siglo XVIII de aproximadamente 278 partes por millón a alrededor de 420 partes por millón en la actualidad.
La NASA y otras agencias federales recopilan regularmente datos sobre las concentraciones y emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero. Estos datos están disponibles en el Centro de Gases de Efecto Invernadero de Estados Unidos, una iniciativa de múltiples instituciones que consolida la información procedente de observaciones y modelos, con el fin de ofrecer a los responsables de la toma de decisiones un único punto de acceso a datos y análisis.
Tendencias de calor excepcional
Las temperaturas de cada año pueden verse influidas por fluctuaciones climáticas naturales como El Niño y La Niña, que alternativamente calientan y enfrían el océano Pacífico tropical. El fuerte fenómeno de El Niño que comenzó en el otoño boreal de 2023 contribuyó a que las temperaturas mundiales superaran los récords anteriores.
La ola de calor que comenzó en 2023 siguió superando las expectativas en 2024, según Schmidt, a pesar de que El Niño remitió. Los investigadores están trabajando en la identificación de los factores que contribuyen a este fenómeno, incluidos los posibles efectos climáticos de la erupción volcánica de Tonga de enero de 2022 y de las reducciones de la contaminación, que pueden cambiar la cubierta de nubes y la forma en que la energía solar se refleja hacia el espacio.
“No en todos los años se van a batir récords, pero la tendencia a largo plazo es clara”, dijo Schmidt. “Ya estamos viendo el impacto en las precipitaciones extremas, las olas de calor y el aumento del riesgo de inundaciones, que van a seguir empeorando mientras continúen las emisiones”.
Cambios a nivel local
La NASA elabora su registro de temperaturas a partir de los datos de temperatura del aire en superficie recolectados por decenas de miles de estaciones meteorológicas, así como de los datos de temperatura de la superficie del mar adquiridos por instrumentos en barcos y boyas. Para el análisis de estos datos, se emplean métodos que toman en consideración el espaciamiento variado de las estaciones de temperatura a nivel global y los efectos del calentamiento urbano que podrían sesgar los cálculos.
Una nueva evaluación publicada a principios de este año por científicos de la Escuela de Minas de Colorado, la Fundación Nacional para las Ciencias, la Administración Nacional Oceánica y Atmosférica (NOAA, por sus siglas en inglés) y la NASA provee aún más confianza en los datos de temperatura global y regional de la agencia.
“Cuando se producen cambios en el clima, primero se ven en la media mundial, luego se ven a nivel continental y después a nivel regional. Ahora lo estamos viendo a nivel local”, dijo Schmidt. “Los cambios que se están produciendo en las experiencias meteorológicas cotidianas de la gente se han hecho muy evidentes”.
Los análisis independientes de la NOAA, Berkeley Earth, el Centro Hadley (parte de la Oficina Meteorológica del Reino Unido, Met Office) y el Servicio de Cambio Climático de Copernicus en Europa también han concluido que las temperaturas de la superficie global para 2024 fueron las más altas desde que comenzaron los registros modernos. Estos científicos utilizan gran parte de los mismos datos de temperatura en sus análisis, pero emplean metodologías y modelos diferentes. Todos muestran la misma tendencia al calentamiento.
El conjunto completo de datos de la NASA sobre las temperaturas de la superficie global, así como los detalles (en inglés) de cómo los científicos de la NASA llevaron a cabo el análisis, están a disposición del público en GISS, un laboratorio de la NASA gestionado por el Centro de Vuelo Espacial Goddard de la agencia en Greenbelt, Maryland.
Para más información (en inglés) sobre los programas de ciencias de la Tierra de la NASA, visita:
https://www.nasa.gov/earth
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María José Viñas / Liz Vlock
Sede, Washington
240-458-0248 / 202-358-1600
maria-jose.vinasgarcia@nasa.gov / elizabeth.a.vlock@nasa.gov
Peter Jacobs
Centro de Vuelo Espacial Goddard, Greenbelt, MD.
301-286-0535
peter.jacobs@nasa.gov
View the full article
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By NASA
This map of Earth in 2024 shows global surface temperature anomalies, or how much warmer or cooler each region of the planet was compared to the average from 1951 to 1980. Normal temperatures are shown in white, higher-than-normal temperatures in red and orange, and lower-than-normal temperatures in blue. An animated version of this map shows global temperature anomalies changing over time, dating back to 1880. Download this visualization from NASA Goddard’s Scientific Visualization Studio: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5450. Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio Earth’s average surface temperature in 2024 was the warmest on record, according to an analysis led by NASA scientists.
Global temperatures in 2024 were 2.30 degrees Fahrenheit (1.28 degrees Celsius) above the agency’s 20th-century baseline (1951-1980), which tops the record set in 2023. The new record comes after 15 consecutive months (June 2023 through August 2024) of monthly temperature records — an unprecedented heat streak.
“Once again, the temperature record has been shattered — 2024 was the hottest year since record keeping began in 1880,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Between record breaking temperatures and wildfires currently threatening our centers and workforce in California, it has never been more important to understand our changing planet.”
NASA scientists further estimate Earth in 2024 was about 2.65 degrees Fahrenheit (1.47 degrees Celsius) warmer than the mid-19th century average (1850-1900). For more than half of 2024, average temperatures were more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above the baseline, and the annual average, with mathematical uncertainties, may have exceeded the level for the first time.
“The Paris Agreement on climate change sets forth efforts to remain below 1.5 degrees Celsius over the long term. To put that in perspective, temperatures during the warm periods on Earth three million years ago — when sea levels were dozens of feet higher than today — were only around 3 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels,” said Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York. “We are halfway to Pliocene-level warmth in just 150 years.”
Scientists have concluded the warming trend of recent decades is driven by heat-trapping carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases. In 2022 and 2023, Earth saw record increases in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, according to a recent international analysis. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased from pre-industrial levels in the 18th century of approximately 278 parts per million to about 420 parts per million today.
NASA and other federal agencies regularly collect data on greenhouse gas concentrations and emissions. These data are available at the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Center, a multi-agency effort that consolidates information from observations and models, with a goal of providing decision-makers with one location for data and analysis.
Exceptional heat trends
The temperatures of individual years can be influenced by natural climate fluctuations such as El Niño and La Niña, which alternately warm and cool the tropical Pacific Ocean. The strong El Niño that began in fall 2023 helped nudge global temperatures above previous records.
The heat surge that began in 2023 continued to exceed expectations in 2024, Schmidt said, even though El Niño abated. Researchers are working to identify contributing factors, including possible climate impacts of the January 2022 Tonga volcanic eruption and reductions in pollution, which may change cloud cover and how solar energy is reflected back into space.
“Not every year is going to break records, but the long-term trend is clear,” Schmidt said. “We’re already seeing the impact in extreme rainfall, heat waves, and increased flood risk, which are going to keep getting worse as long as emissions continue.”
Seeing changes locally
NASA assembles its temperature record using surface air temperature data collected from tens of thousands of meteorological stations, as well as sea surface temperature data acquired by ship- and buoy-based instruments. This data is analyzed using methods that account for the varied spacing of temperature stations around the globe and for urban heating effects that could skew the calculations.
A new assessment published earlier this year by scientists at the Colorado School of Mines, National Science Foundation, the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA), and NASA further increases confidence in the agency’s global and regional temperature data.
“When changes happen in the climate, you see it first in the global mean, then you see it at the continental scale and then at the regional scale. Now, we’re seeing it at the local level,” Schmidt said. “The changes occurring in people’s everyday weather experiences have become abundantly clear.”
Independent analyses by NOAA, Berkeley Earth, the Hadley Centre (part of the United Kingdom’s weather forecasting Met Office) and Copernicus Climate Services in Europe have also concluded that the global surface temperatures for 2024 were the highest since modern record-keeping began. These scientists use much of the same temperature data in their analyses but use different methodologies and models. Each shows the same ongoing warming trend.
NASA’s full dataset of global surface temperatures, as well as details of how NASA scientists conducted the analysis, are publicly available from GISS, a NASA laboratory managed by the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
For more information about NASA’s Earth science programs, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/earth
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Liz Vlock
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
elizabeth.a.vlock@nasa.gov
Peter Jacobs
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-0535
peter.jacobs@nasa.gov
View the full article
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By NASA
Earth Observer Earth Home Earth Observer Home Editor’s Corner Feature Articles Meeting Summaries News Science in the News Calendars In Memoriam More Archives 32 min read
Summary of the 2024 NASA LCLUC Science Team Meeting
Introduction
The 2024 NASA Land-Cover and Land-Use Change (LCLUC) Science Team Meeting (STM) took place from April 2–4, 2024 at the Marriott Washingtonian Center in Gaithersburg, MD. During the meeting, 75 people attended in-person. Represented among the attendees were LCLUC project investigators and collaborators, NASA Headquarters (HQ) program managers, and university researchers and students – see Photo.
LCLUC is an interdisciplinary scientific program within NASA’s Earth Science program that aims to develop the capability for periodic global inventories of land use and land cover from space. The program’s goal is to develop the scientific understanding and models necessary to simulate the processes taking place and to evaluate the consequences of observed and predicted changes.
The LCLUC program’s focus is divided into three areas – impacts, monitoring, and synthesis. Each category constitutes about one-third of the program’s content. The LCLUC program is part of the Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems research area, alongside other programs, such as Terrestrial Ecosystems, Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry, and Biodiversity.
Within NASA’s Earth Science Division (ESD), the LCLUC program collaborates with the Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO), the Earth Action Program element on Agriculture, and data initiatives, such as Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 (HLS), Observational Products for End-Users from Remote Sensing Analysis (OPERA), and the Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition (CSDA) program. Externally, the program engages the U.S. Global Climate Research Program (USGCRP), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). Internationally, the program collaborates with Global Observations of Forest Cover and Land-use Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD), the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), particularly Group on Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM), the Global Land Program (GLP), as well as regional initiatives – e.g., the South and Southeast Asia Regional Initiative (SARI), and space agencies, including the European Space Agency (ESA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA)–Thailand, Vietnam National Space Center (VNSC), and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Principal Investigators (PIs) who participate in LCLUC are required to provide free and open access to their data and products via their metadata pages, aligning with NASA’s Transform to Open Science (TOPS) initiative. The program organizes at least one international regional workshop and one domestic ST meeting each year to share LCLUC science and foster global collaborations, contributing to regional capacity-building as an added value. Additionally, the program hosts regular webinars led by PIs on topics such as agriculture, urban areas, land-use changes in conflict zones, and natural disaster hotspots (i.e., fires, droughts, and floods). Garik Gutman [NASA HQ—LCLUC Program Manager] presented updates on LCLUC research publications, journal special issues, and upcoming international meetings.
The remainder of this article summarizes the highlights of the 2024 LCLUC STM. The content is organized chronologically, with a section devoted to describing each day of the meeting and descriptive headers throughout. The full presentations from this meeting are available on the LCLUC meeting website.
Photo. A group picture of meeting participants on the first day of the 2024 LCLUC meeting in Gaithersburg, MD. Photo credit: Hotel staff (Marriott Washingtonian Center, Gaithersburg, MD) DAY ONE
The first day featured invited presentations, reports from LCLUC ST members funded through the LCLUC Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2022 selections, and an overview of SARI. The day concluded with poster presentations and lightning talks highlighting recent results from ongoing LCLUC-related research.
Update from the LCLUC Program Manager
The meeting began with welcoming remarks from Garik Gutman, who provided an update on the program’s latest developments and achievements. He highlighted that the socioeconomic component is an integral part of most LCLUC projects. The program has recently expanded to include multisource land imaging, such as the ESA’s Copernicus Sentinel program, regional initiatives, and capacity-building efforts. He also underscored the importance of U.S. missions relevant to LCLUC, which produce spatially coarse resolution daily data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua and Terra platforms and the NASA–National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP); spatially moderate resolution data every eight days from the NASA–USGS Landsat-8 (L8) and Landsat-9 (L9) satellites; and very high-resolution data from private companies, such as Planet Inc. and Maxar.
Gutman also discussed how LCLUC investigators are using data from missions on the International Space Station (ISS), e.g., ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS), Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI), and Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT). He noted the potential of radar observations from the recently launched international Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission – led by NASA and the Centre National d’Études Spatiales [French Space Agency] – and the upcoming NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission (planned for launch in 2025).
LCLUC in the Broader Context of NASA
Jack Kaye [ESD—Associate Director for Research] gave an update on ESD activities that reflected on NASA’s broad capabilities in Earth Science – emphasizing the agency’s unique role in both developing and utilizing cutting-edge technology. Unlike many other agencies, NASA’s scope spans technology development, research, data provision, and tool creation. Over the past 16 months, NASA has launched several significant missions, including SWOT, Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS), Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO), and Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE). This surge in satellite launches highlights NASA’s role in enhancing global observational capabilities. NASA also supports a diverse array of programs, including airborne campaigns and surface-based measurement networks. Initiatives aim to improve the involvement of minority-serving institutions and incorporate open science practices with a focus on enhancing inclusivity and expanding participation. The agency also emphasizes the importance of peer review and collaboration with international and community-based partners. Kaye highlighted NASA’s commitment to producing high-quality, actionable science while navigating financial and operational challenges. This commitment extends to addressing environmental and societal impacts through programs such as Earth Action and by fostering global collaboration.
Sid Ahmed Boukabara [ESD—Senior Program Scientist for Strategy] presented a detailed overview of NASA’s Earth Science to Action Strategy, which aims to increase the impact of Earth science in addressing global challenges. This strategy acknowledges the urgency of global changes, e.g., accelerating environmental shifts, understanding Earth’s interconnected systems, and developing scalable information. NASA’s mission focuses on observing and understanding the Earth system, delivering trusted information, and empowering resilience activities through advanced technologies, partnerships, and innovations. Key principles include amplifying impact through partnerships, engaging a diverse and inclusive workforce, balancing innovation with sustainability, encouraging cutting-edge capabilities, and ensuring robust and resilient processes. The strategy emphasizes collaboration across sectors and international partnerships to leverage Earth observations enhance the value of Earth science for decision-making and policy support. The strategy also highlights the role of land-cover and land-use change activities in supporting objectives and enhancing modeling capabilities.
Thomas Wagner [ESD—Associate Director for Earth Action] outlined NASA’s Earth Action initiative (formerly known as the Applications Program), which focuses on user-centered strategies to address global challenges, e.g., climate resilience, health, and ecological conservation. By integrating applied sciences and leveraging satellite data, the initiative aims to enhance Earth observation capabilities and connect scientific research with practical applications to meet societal needs. The strategy includes a virtuous cycle, where user feedback informs the development of future programs and missions, ensuring that research and technology are aligned with real-world needs. Additionally, Earth Action emphasizes public engagement by offering open-source models and data to enhance understanding and support decision making. Through multisector consortia and problem-solving teams, the initiative addresses urgent and broad-impact issues, fostering innovation and collaboration.
Updates from LCLUC PIs on 2022 ROSES Proposal Selections
Following the programmatic overview presentations, PIs presented updates on research results from LCLUC ROSES 2022 proposal selections. Gillian Galford [University of Vermont] presented on the socioeconomic and environmental dynamics of LCLUC in the Cerrado frontier of Brazil. She presented results from the three main objectives: developing LCLUC detection methods and datasets, characterizing major land-use transitions (LUTs), and understanding the drivers behind these transitions. The research employs remote-sensing and geostatistical methods to track changes, identify “hotspots” of activity, and understand the underlying motivations for land-use changes. The research aims to provide insights that can guide conservation efforts and promote sustainable land use in the region.
Gustavo Oliveira [Clark University] presented “Irrigation as Climate-Change Adaptation in the Cerrado Biome of Brazil.” This project aims to develop methods for analyzing LCLUC data and their socioeconomic impacts, examining the expansion of irrigated agriculture and creating models to inform policy on agrarian development and water regulations. Oliveira highlighted areas of significant deforestation and the rapid growth of irrigated agriculture in the study region – positioning Western Bahia as a model for irrigation in Brazil. He explained that the research outputs include software for time series analysis and publications on land change, contributing to the broader understanding of climate adaptation strategies in the region.
Grant Connette [Smithsonian Institution] presented “Can Improved Stakeholder Representation Prevent Human-caused Mangrove Loss in the Mesoamerican Reef Ecoregion?” He examined the factors contributing to mangrove loss in the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR) ecoregion. Through a combination of Earth observation data, socioeconomic analysis, and community engagement, Connette described how the study seeks to improve the effectiveness of protected areas and inform best practices for mangrove conservation in the MAR ecoregion.
Saurav Kumar [Arizona State University] presented his team’s work, “Exploring the Nexus between LCLUC, Socio-Economic Factors, and Water for a Vulnerable Arid U.S.–Mexico Transboundary Region.” Kumar explained that the project aims to understand how natural and human systems influence LCLUC when constrained by water availability. The data used in this project come from a combination of time series data, theoretical model output, and artificial intelligence techniques. The team also focuses on stakeholder engagement, recognizing the need for comprehensive identification and involvement in addressing complex water resource issues. Kumar explained that the study seeks to predict future LCLUC transitions, assess the theoretical models of different stakeholder groups, and identify policy-relevant leverage points for sustainable water management.
Abena Boatemaa Asare-Ansah [University of Maryland, College Park (UMD)] presented on “The Multisensor Mapping of Refugee Agricultural LCLUC Hotspots in Uganda.” She explained that this study focuses on mapping changes in cropland within refugee-hosting regions using satellite data and deep learning models. Asare-Ansah described how the first year involved evaluating existing cropland maps and initiating new classifications. Future work will refine these maps and connect cropland changes to specific refugee households, aiming to better understand the relationship between refugee populations, food aid, and agricultural practices.
Elsa Ordway [University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)] discussed her team’s efforts toward “Disentangling Land-Use Change in Central Africa to Understand the Role of Local and Indigenous Communities in Forest Restoration and Conservation.” Ordway reported that the project focuses on mapping land cover and carbon emissions, analyzing the impact of conservation efforts, and exploring potential forest restoration opportunities. She emphasized that this research highlights the critical role of local indigenous communities in forest management and the unintended consequences of conservation projects on land use – see Photo 2.
Photo 2. Some residents of a village neighboring the Dja reserve – part of the dense rain forests that form Africa’s Congo Basin. Interviews and surveys among the area’s local and indigenous communities are used to gather information on forest restoration and conservation. Photo credit: Else Ordway (UCLA) Ordway also presented on the PAN-tropical investigation of BioGeochemistry and Ecological Adaptation (PANGEA), which aims to investigate the biogeochemistry and ecological adaptation of tropical forests that are crucial for global climate regulation and biodiversity. She explained that this study emphasizes the rapid changes occurring in tropical regions primarily due to deforestation and climate change. PANGEA seeks to answer key scientific questions about the vulnerability and resilience of these ecosystems, and how this information can inform climate adaptation, mitigation, and biodiversity conservation efforts.
The ARID Experiment
Andrew Feldman [NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)] presented on the Adaptation and Response in Drylands (ARID) experiment, a field campaign focused on dryland ecosystems. He described how this project aims to understand the fundamental science of drylands, including water availability, land–atmosphere interactions, climate variability, carbon stocks, and land management. The study involves significant international collaboration and stakeholder engagement, with a particular focus on the Western U.S – see Figure 1. While this project is in planning stages, ongoing efforts will be made to engage with the scientific community, gather feedback, and refine its research themes.
Figure 1. The Adaptation and Response in Drylands (ARID) experiment focuses on studying the characteristics of dryland ecosystems, e.g., water availability, land–atmosphere interactions, climate variability, carbon stocks, and land management. While the experiment is global in scope, it has a focus on the Western U.S., with numerous site locations across the desert Southwest and some in the Pacific Northwest. Figure credit: Andrew Feldman (NASA/UMD) SARI Update and Related Projects
Krishna Vadrevu [NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center] gave a comprehensive update on SARI, a regional initiative under the LCLUC program that addresses the critical needs of the South/Southeast Asia region by integrating remote sensing, natural sciences, engineering, and social sciences. His presentation covered the initiative’s background, various funded research projects, and their outputs. The diverse SARI projects include studies on forest degradation, agricultural transitions, food security, urbanization, and their environmental impacts. SARI has supported 35 research projects, engaging more than 400 scientists and over 200 institutions that result in significant scientific contributions, including nearly 450 publications, 16 special journal issues, and five books with two additional books pending publication. Vadrevu emphasized the importance of sustainable land use policies informed by LCLUC research and provided details on upcoming meetings. He concluded with information on three ongoing projects funded under the SARI synthesis solicitation – one in South Asia and two in Southeast Asia. Summaries of these projects are highlighted below.
David Skole [Michigan State University (MSU)] leads the SARI synthesis project that spans South Asian countries, with an emphasis on tree-based systems, particularly Trees Outside Forests (TOF). The primary objective is to synthesize existing research to better understand the patterns, drivers, and impacts of TOF on carbon emissions and removals and their role in supporting rural livelihoods. This research is crucial for informing climate change policy, particularly in the context of nature-based solutions and pathways to achieve net-zero emissions. The project combines empirical data with process-based research and policy models to support the development of sustainable landscapes. By integrating biophysical and socioeconomic data, the project team members aim to provide robust, evidence-based contributions to climate mitigation and adaptation strategies, ultimately guiding regional policy decisions.
Son Nghiem [NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory] discussed the interrelated dynamics of LCLUC and demographic changes in Southeast Asia under various developmental pressures and climate change. Nghiem explained that the study explores how these factors interact along the rural-to-urban continuum across regions in Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos), Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and parts of Indonesia. In rapidly urbanizing and agriculturally transitioning areas, physical and human feedback processes are becoming non-stationary, leading to unpredictable impacts that challenge traditional policymaking. The study aims to capture both physical patterns (e.g., land-use) and human (socioeconomic) fabrics, integrating these within a framework to assess whether the statistical properties of the time series measured during this study remain constant or change with time.
Peilei Fan [Tufts University] presented the project, “Decoding Land Transitions Across the Urban-Rural Continuums (URC): A Synthesis Study of Patterns, Drivers, and Socio-Environmental Impacts in Southeast Asia.” The project aims to synthesize knowledge through an interdisciplinary approach. It focuses on URCs in 19 cities across eight Southeast Asian countries. It investigates how global urban hierarchies, URC connectivity, and local policies influence land-use change and related ecosystem impacts. By integrating remote-sensing data with climate and ecological models and socioeconomic analysis, the project seeks to advance theoretical understanding of land transitions and provide valuable insights for both scientific research and policymaking.
Poster sessions
Following the presentations, participants gave lightning talks linked to 17 posters, which highlighted recent results from ongoing LCLUC projects and LCLUC-related research from the Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST) and the Inter-Disciplinary Research in Earth Science (IDS) programs. A reception followed. PDF versions of the posters can be accessed on the meeting website.
DAY TWO
The second day of the meeting continued with additional presentations from the LCLUC ROSES 2022 projects and updates from international programs. In addition, the attendees listened to presentations from NASA HQ and NASA Centers, describing various initiatives and data products, such as from the Socio-Economic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC).
Updates from LCLUC PIs on ROSES 2022 Proposal Selections (cont.)
Cascade Tuholske [Montana State University] presented “Modulation of Climate Risks Due to Urban and Agricultural Land Uses in the Arabian Peninsula.” Tuholske explained how this project aims to map LCLUC, assess the effects on extreme humid heat, and characterize the socio-demographics of exposure to heat stress – see Figure 2. Key findings include evidence of a rapid increase in dangerously hot and humid weather – particularly in urban and agricultural areas – and the importance of remote sensing in studying these interactions. Future steps will involve using climate models to predict the effects of LCLUC on heat waves, water stress, and dust storms.
Figure 2. The Ghana Climate Hazards Center Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) Phase 6 climate projection dataset map of temperatures exceeding 41 °C (106 °F) [left], future climate projection (SSP) for 2050 [middle], and the difference between the two [right]. Figure credit: From a 2024 paper in the journal Scientific Data Monika Tomaszewska [MSU] provided details on the project, “Institutional Forcings on Agricultural Landscapes in Post-Socialist Europe: Diachronic Hotspot Analysis of Common Agricultural Policy Influences on Agricultural Land Use in Romania 2002–2024.” She explained that the project focuses on how the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) programs (e.g., livelihood payments, environmental protections, and rural development projects) have influenced land use changes – see Figure 3. Tomaszewska summarized key findings from the study, which indicates significant changes in crop composition and spatial patterns – with notable decreases in maize and rapeseed areas between 2018 and 2023. She stated that the study aims to understand the diffusion of innovation through CAP enrollments and payments and their impact on agricultural practices in Romania.
Figure 3. Dense time series of Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 (HLS) data at 30-m (98-ft) resolution revealing winter and summer crops across Southern Romania in 2018 [top] and 2023 [bottom]. Magenta areas indicate forests, green areas represent summer crops (e.g., maize, sunflower, soy), and blue areas show winter crops (e.g., wheat, barley, rapeseed). Yellow areas indicate very low spring Enhanced Vegetative Index-2 due to snow or persistent clouds at higher elevations. Figure credit: Geoff Henebry (MSU) Xiao-Peng Song [UMD] presented “Energy LCLUC Hotspot: Characterizing the Dynamics of Energy Land Use and Assessing Environmental Impacts in the Permian Basin.” He said that the project aims to assess the environmental impacts of energy-related land-cover and land-use change in the region. Song showed the output from the project, which includes high-resolution LCLUC and geohazard maps that enhance understanding of energy-related environmental impacts and contribute to NASA’s LCLUC program. Results from this study are expected to inform decision makers on societal issues related to oil and gas production and its effects on the environment.
International Partner Program Updates
The International Partners Programs session featured four presentations. Ariane DeBremond [UMD] focused on the Global Land Programme (GLP), which is a comprehensive, global initiative dedicated to understanding and addressing changes in land systems and their implications for sustainability and justice. DeBremond described the program, which coordinates research on land use, land management, and land cover changes,. She emphasized land systems as social-ecological systems and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration to develop solutions for global challenges. The research agenda includes descriptive, normative, and transformative aspects, aimed at characterizing land systems, identifying causes and impacts of changes, and creating pathways for sustainability transformations. GLP also emphasizes the need for new remote-sensing data, improved generalizability, and addressing geographic biases in land system science. Recent program activities include developing a new science plan, identifying emerging themes, and organizing open science meetings. DeBremond ended by announcing that the next GLP meeting is scheduled for November 2024 in Oaxaca, Mexico.
David Skole outlined the efforts of the Global Observations of Forest and Land Cover Dynamics (GOFC–GOLD) Land Implementation Team (LC–IT) in advancing methods and tools for global land cover measurements and monitoring. The LC–IT is primarily focused on developing and evaluating space-borne and in-situ observation techniques to support global change research, forest inventories, and international policy. Skole highlighted the importance of regional networks in coordinating the use of Earth Observation (EO) data, facilitating capacity building, and addressing regional concerns through workshops and partnerships. He also discussed the changing role of EO in responding to climate change and sustainability challenges, emphasizing the need for high-integrity carbon finance and the integration of new data and technologies to support nature-based solutions. He concluded with insights into the BeZero Carbon Rating system, which evaluates carbon efficacy across various projects worldwide and highlights the need for reliable ratings to ensure the credibility of carbon markets.
David Roy [MSU] detailed the work of the GOFC-GOLD Fire Implementation Team, which focuses on improving the accuracy and utility of satellite-based fire monitoring. The team is working to enhance global fire observation requirements, particularly for small fires and those with low Fire Radiative Power, which are often underrepresented in current datasets. Roy emphasized the need for continuous development and validation of satellite-derived fire products, including a robust quality assurance framework. The team advocates for standardized methods to validate fire data and harmonize information from various satellite missions to create a more comprehensive global fire record. Roy also highlighted the need for new satellite missions with advanced fire detection capabilities and the use of machine learning to improve fire modeling and data accessibility to provide more accurate and actionable data for global change research and fire management.
Alexandra Tyukavina [UMD] presented on Land Product Validation (LPV) subgroup of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Working Group on Calibration and Validation (WGCV). The LPV is focused on updating land cover validation guidelines, incorporating new literature and data from the past 20 years. Tyukavina emphasized the need for rigorous accuracy assessment in land cover studies, highlighting the need to improve methods and reporting as well as accuracy. She also discussed the outcomes of a NASA-sponsored joint cropland validation workshop co-hosted by CEOS and GEOGLAM, which aimed to set minimum requirements for cropland validation and develop community guidelines. Tyukavina concluded her presentation with a call for reviewers to assist in updating these guidelines.
LCLUC Program Crosswalks
The Crosswalks, a LCLUC program, featured six presentations. Frederick Policelli [GSFC] presented on the CSDA program, which supports the ESD by acquiring and utilizing commercial, small-satellite data to enhance Earth science research. Launched as a pilot in November 2017, the program became a sustained effort in 2020, transitioning from Blanket Purchase Agreements to Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity contracts for better data management. The CSDA also introduced a tiered End User License Agreement for data usage and focuses on long-term data preservation and broad access. Policelli described how program participants collaborate with U.S. government agencies and international partners, adhering to the 2003 U.S. Commercial Remote Sensing Policy. He discussed recent developments, which include onboarding new commercial data vendors and expanding the program’s capabilities.
Jacqueline Le Moigne [ESTO] provided details on NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office’s (ESTO), Advanced Information Systems Technology (AIST) program and its development of Earth System Digital Twins (ESDT). She explained that ESDTs are intended to be dynamic, interactive systems that replicate the Earth’s past and current states, forecast future states, and assess hypothetical scenarios. They should integrate continuous data from diverse sources, utilize advanced computational and visualization capabilities, and rely heavily on machine learning for data fusion, super-resolution, and causal reasoning. Le Moigne added that ESDTs enhance our understanding of Earth systems, their interactions, and applications, particularly in the context of climate change. She highlighted various use cases (e.g., wildfires, ocean carbon processes, the water cycle, and coastal zones) demonstrating the potential of ESDTs to support decision-making and policy planning.
Roger Pielke [University of Colorado, Boulder] discussed the critical need to incorporate land-use data into weather forecasts and climate models to improve understanding of and address climate change. He emphasized the distinction between weather and climate, explaining that climate is dynamic and influenced by both natural and human factors. Pielke critiqued the focus of the approach of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as the primary driver of climate change, arguing that LCLUC should be considered as an equally important climate forcing. He illustrated how changes in land cover, such as in Florida and the Great Plains, can significantly impact local and regional climate, sometimes rivaling the effects of CO2. Pielke called for integrating land-use data into climate models across all scales, suggesting that NASA’s programs could lead in this effort to enhance climate forecasting and policymaking.
Brad Doorn [NASA HQ—Program Manager, NASA’s Earth Action Agriculture Program] presented an overview of the program’s status and strategic direction. He emphasized the importance of partnerships, particularly with the USDA, in advancing initiatives like Climate Smart Agriculture. NASA’s role in global food security and supply chain monitoring was highlighted through the activities of NASA’s Harvest and Acres, agriculture and food security consortia, both of which enable collaborative research to codevelop data-driven products and services and enhance predictive models to meet end-user needs. Doorn stressed the need for strong collaborations with the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and other space agencies to accelerate the development of agricultural solutions. He also highlighted the significance of integrating NASA’s capabilities in weather, water, and crop monitoring systems to provide comprehensive tools for stakeholders. Doorn explained that the program aims to bridge gaps between NASA’s observations and practical applications in agriculture, leveraging tools, such as the Global Crop Monitor, and integrating predictive capabilities for improved future planning.
Rachel Paseka [NASA HQ] presented on NASA’s open science funding opportunities with a focus on the ROSES F.7 element, which supports widely used open-source software tools, frameworks, and libraries within the NASA science community. She described the program, which offers two types of awards: Foundational Awards for projects that impact multiple divisions and Sustainment Awards for those affecting one or more divisions of the Science Mission Directorate. Foundational Awards are cooperative agreements lasting up to five years. Sustainment Awards can be grants or cooperative agreements lasting up to three years. Paseka also emphasized the importance of open science, highlighting various tools, data challenges, and collaborative efforts, including artificial intelligence (AI) models for tasks (e.g., flood detection and burn scar mapping). She concluded with an introduction of the Science Explorer (SciX) digital library and the Science Discovery Engine, both of which facilitate access to NASA’s open science data and research.
Alex de Sherbinin [SocioEconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC), Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University] provided an overview of datasets and research related to climate risk, social vulnerability, and environmental change. de Sherbinin outlined the SocioEconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) mission areas, which include population land-use and emissions, mitigation, vulnerability and adaptation, hazard vulnerability assessment, poverty and food security, and environment and sustainable development. He highlighted key SEDAC datasets (e.g., LCLUC and Urban and Settlements Datasets) and their use in analyses. SEDAC data and services are accessible via tools, such as Global Forest Watch and Google Earth Engine. de Sherbinin also covered recent research citations, the impact of studies on biodiversity and urban changes, and SEDAC’s contributions to open science and training initiatives. He also emphasized the importance of integrating remote sensing data with social and health sciences for comprehensive environmental analysis.
DAY THREE
The third day of the meeting focused on satellite missions and data product updates and a LCLUC program feedback session on emerging science directions.
Landsat Mission Updates
Chris Neigh [GSFC—Landsat 9 Project Scientist] provided an overview of the status of the current Landsat missions that are in orbit (L7, L8, and L9]. He reported that all L9 Level-1 requirements have now been met and exceeded. OLI-2, the updated sensor for L9, transmits data at 14 bits compared to the L8 12-bit transmission, allowing for finer data resolution. OLI-2 offers a 25–30% improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio for dark targets, leading to enhanced data quality. The Thermal Infrared Sensor on L9 (TIRS-2) has also been improved over TIRS on L7 and L8, to mitigate stray light issues, enhancing the reliability of thermal data. Additionally, OLI-2 supports better atmospheric corrections through split window techniques using both of its channels. With two operational observatories, L8 and L9, equipped with advanced radiometry, data is provided every eight days, ensuring consistent and precise Earth observation capabilities. The radiometric and geometric performance of L9 is excellent from a Calibration/Validation (Cal/Val) perspective.
While all systems are nominal for L8 and L9, Neigh reported that L7 is nearing the end of its operational life. He stated that the Landsat Cal/Val team will continue its work for the duration of the mission as a joint USGS–NASA effort. He also highlighted the need for a global Analysis Ready Data framework and the development of proxy and simulated datasets to support the next generation of Landsat missions. Neigh ended by reporting that opportunities exist for scientists to share their high-profile, Landsat-based research through the program’s communications team.
Bruce Cook [GSFC—Landsat Next Project Scientist] provided an update on the Landsat Next mission, an ambitious extension of the Landsat Program under the Sustainable Land Imaging (SLI) program, which will be a joint effort by NASA and the USGS. Cook explained that this mission aims to greatly enhance Earth observation by launching three identical satellites, each equipped with advanced Visible Shortwave Infrared (VSWIR) and Thermal Infrared (TIR) instruments. He described how the Landsat Next constellation will improve the temporal revisit time to six days – a major advancement from the 16-day interval of L8 and L9. In order to achieve this revisit time improvement, each satellite will carry a Landsat Next Instrument Suite (LandIS) that will capture 21 VSWIR and five thermal infrared bands, which will have better spatial resolutions compared to previous Landsat missions. It will have ground sample distances of 10–20 m (33–66 ft) for visible, near infrared, and shortwave infrared bands and 60 m (197 ft) for atmospheric visible SWIR and thermal infrared bands.
Cook continued with details on LandIS, stating that Landsat Next will record 26 bands in total – 15 more than the currently active L8 and L9 missions. The LandIS will include refined versions of the 11 Landsat “heritage” bands to ensure continuity, five new bands similar to the ESA’s Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission for improved data integration, and 10 new spectral bands to meet evolving user needs and applications. Additionally, Landsat Next will have a water vapor band for atmospheric correction without needing data from other satellites. LandIS will collect all bands nearly simultaneously, reducing illumination variations between bands and aiding in cloud detection and the generation of multispectral surface reflectance and thermal emission products (e.g., evapotranspiration).
Cook said that Landsat Next is in Phase A of its mission life cycle. The current focus is on defining science requirements and converting them into specific hardware and system designs. He said that this phase is crucial for setting up the subsequent phases. Phase B will involve preliminary design and technology completion, and later phases leading to the final design, fabrication, and launch of the satellites. He ended by emphasizing that the introduction of a new reference system and a lower orbit will further enhance the satellites’ ability to capture high-quality data, leading to a significant advancement in Earth observation technology.
Harmonized Landsat–Sentinel Project Update
Junchang Ju [GSFC] discussed the Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 (HLS) project, which aims to integrate data from the L8, L9, Sentinel-2A, and Sentinel-2B satellites for more frequent and detailed Earth observations. Currently the MODIS climate modeling grid data is used for atmospheric correction – see Figure 4. The newer HLS version will use VIIRS-based water vapor and ozone fields instead of MODIS data for atmospheric correction using the land surface reflectance code. Ju explained how HLS adopts the Military Grid Reference System used by Sentinel-2. HLS V2.0 corrects a mistake in view angle normalization of earlier versions (V1.3 and V1.4). Atmospherically corrected data from Hyperion (an instrument on NASA’s Earth Observing–1 extended mission) is used to make bandpass adjustments. A temporally complete global HLS V2.0 dataset has been available since August 2023. He also highlighted the availability and access of HLS data through various platforms – e.g., EarthData and WorldView, in Amazon Web Services and the project’s future plans, such as enhancing vegetation indices, cloud mask improvements, and 10-m (33-ft) improved resolution product.
Figure 4. Sentinel-2B image over the Baltimore-Washington area on April 7, 2022 [left]. Example true color images of top of atmospheric reflectance and the corresponding HLS surface reflectance are shown [right]. The atmospheric ancillary data used in the surface reflectance derivation was from the MODIS Climate Modeling Grid (CMG) data before the transition to VIIRS was implemented. Figure Credit: Junchang Ju (GSFC) NISAR Update
Gerald Bawden [NASA HQ—NISAR Program Scientist] delivered a presentation about the NISAR mission, which is a collaborative effort between NASA and the ISRO. He explained that NISAR will be a dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite using 24-cm (9-in) L-band and 10-cm (4-in) S-band radar frequencies. This dual-frequency approach will enable high-resolution imaging of Earth’s surface, offering near-global land and ice coverage with a 12-day repeat cycle for interferometry and approximately 6-day coverage using both ascending and descending orbits. The mission’s goals include providing valuable data to understand and manage climate variability, carbon dynamics, and catastrophic events (e.g., earthquakes). Specific applications include monitoring deformation, measuring ice sheet velocities, observing sea-ice deformation, and assessing biomass and crop disturbances. Bawden discussed NISAR’s data products, which will include raw radar data (Level-0) and geocoded single-look complex images and multi-look interferograms (Level-2). He stated that these data products will be crucial for various research and practical applications, including ecological forecasting, wildfire management, resource management, and disaster response. NISAR’s data will be openly accessible to the global scientific community through the Alaska Satellite Facility Data Active Archive Center. Initially planned for early 2024, the NISAR launch has been delayed to 2025. Bawden reported that NISAR will undergo a three-month commissioning phase after launch – before starting science operations. He also emphasized NASA’s commitment to open science, with NISAR’s data processing software and algorithms being made available as open-source tools, accompanied by training resources to facilitate their use.
Land Surface Disturbance Alert Classification System Update
Matthew Hansen [UMD] focused on the Land Surface Disturbance Alert (DIST-ALERT) classification system, designed for near-real-time global vegetation extent and loss mapping. He described the DIST-ALERT system, which uses HLS data, combining inputs from L8, L9, Sentinel-2A, and -2B to achieve a high-revisit rate of approximately 2–3 days at a 30-m (98-ft) resolution. DIST-ALERT operates with a primary algorithm that tracks vegetation loss through time-series analysis of fractional vegetation cover (FVC) and a secondary algorithm that detects general spectral anomalies. The system integrates drone data from various biomes to build a k-nearest neighbors model that is applied globally to predict FVC at the HLS-pixel scale. Hansen explained that DIST-ALERT monitors disturbances by comparing current vegetation fraction against a seasonal baseline, capturing changes such as forest fires, logging, mining, urban expansion, drought, and land conversion. He concluded by highlighting some case studies, including analysis of forest fires in Quebec, Canada, logging in the Republic of Congo, and gold mining in Ghana. He also said that the team released an improved version (V1) in March 2024, following a provisional release (V0) that was operational from February 2023 to February 2024.
State of LCLUC Report
Chris Justice [UMD—LCLUC Program Scientist] provided comments on the current state of the LCLUC program, followed by an open discussion to gather feedback. He emphasized the need for PI’s to effectively communicate their work to the broader community and highlighted the recent LCLUC initiative to create policy-oriented briefs based on research results, demonstrating its relevance to the Earth Science to Action Strategy. Justice acknowledged that challenges lie ahead for the LCLUC program – particularly considering the anticipated resource constraints in the coming year. He noted that the program plans to strengthen its position by forming partnerships with other ESD program elements and increasing involvement across NASA Centers. The program is also emphasizing the use of advanced remote sensing technologies, AI, and deep-learning data analytics, to deliver more precise and actionable insights into land dynamics contributing to better decision-making and policy development in land management and environmental conservation.
Justice also suggested the need for better integration between different scientific fields (i.e., between LCLUC and climatology, climate mitigation, and adaptation) to enhance interdisciplinary research and collaboration. He cited the current program solicitation (e.g., ROSES 2024 A.2) as an example of this integration and the recent IDS solicitation in ROSES 2022 A.28. Justice reminded participants that the solicitation focuses on collaborating with AIST to develop Land Digital Twins that incorporate available remote sensing data time series as non-static boundary conditions in weather forecast and climate models. Improvements in model forecasts and climate simulations will highlight the importance of accounting for LCLUC in these models – advancing the goals of the IPCC.
Conclusion
Garik Gutman concluded the meeting by summarizing key points raised about data management strategies, educational outreach efforts, LCLUC research outside the U.S., and current and upcoming projects. He highlighted that the program requires PIs to provide metadata for data products generated under NASA-funded projects, ensuring these resources are freely and openly accessible to the scientific community. Gutman acknowledged the challenges of conducting research and fieldwork in foreign countries due to funding and, at times, security issues, but praised the PIs for their efforts to expand the program globally. He also noted the program’s outreach efforts, which include engaging PIs, collaborators, and interested parties through its website, newsletters, webinars, and policy briefs. LCLUC emphasizes the importance of effectively communicating research results and encourages researchers to share their findings via NASA’s Earth Sciences Research Results Portal to enhance visibility among leadership and communication teams.
Gutman ended his presentation by providing details about forthcoming meetings in the Philippines, South Korea, and Turkey, as well as workshops scheduled for 2024, which will involve various stakeholders in the LCLUC community and are vital for fostering collaboration and advancing the program’s goals. He concluded by recognizing the contributions of long-term supporters and collaborators, reaffirming the program’s ongoing commitment to advancing Earth observation and land-use science.
Overall, the 2024 LCLUC meeting was highly successful in fostering collaboration among researchers and providing valuable updates on recent developments in LCLUC research. The exchange of ideas, integration of new data products, and discussions on emerging science directions were particularly impactful, contributing to the advancement of the LCLUC program’s goals.
Krishna Vadrevu
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
krishna.p.vadrevu@nasa.gov
Meghavi Prashnani
University of Maryland, College Park
meghavi@umd.edu
Christopher Justice
University of Maryland, College Park
cjustice@umd.edu
Garik Gutman
NASA Headquarters
ggutman@nasa.gov
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