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How to Participate in the SWOT Launch

An artist's illustration of SWOT

This illustration shows the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite in orbit with its solar panels and KaRIn instrument antennas deployed. Credit: CNES

The U.S.-European Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission to study our home planet is currently targeting a Dec. 16, 2022 launch at 3:46 a.m. PST​ from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Central California. The SUV-size satellite will help researchers understand how much water flows into and out of Earth’s freshwater bodies and will provide insight into the ocean’s role in how climate change unfolds.

The measurements from the spacecraft’s science instruments will also help communities monitor and plan for changing water resources as well as the effects of sea level rise. SWOT is a joint mission developed by NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency and the UK Space Agency.

Read below for ways to participate in the launch.

How to Watch

News briefings and launch commentary will be livestreamed on NASA Television, the agency’s website nasa.gov/live, YouTube.com/NASA, Youtube.com/NASAJPL, and the NASA app at nasa.gov/connect/apps.html. (On-demand recordings will also be available after the live events have finished on YouTube.)

Play Launch Bingo

If your kids will be up with you, you can both play our launch Bingo game.

During the broadcast, mark off the words you hear. When you get a bingo, have a grownup share a photo of the board with us on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #TrackingWorldWater.

SWOT launch BINGO card

Ask a Question

Have a question about the SWOT mission? Use #AskNASA (making sure your settings are set to public) for a chance for it to be answered on air during the broadcast.

Social Media

Join the conversation! Use the hashtag #TrackingWorldWater to find SWOT content and get updates from these accounts:

Twitter: @NASAEarth, @NASAClimate, @NASAJPL, @NASA_LSP, @NASA

Facebook: NASAEarth, NASA Climate Change, NASAJPL, NASALSP, and NASA

Instagram: @NASAEarth, @NASAClimatechange, @NASAJPL, and @NASA

Additional Resources on the Web

A web version of this press kit is available at jpl.nasa.gov/press-kits/swot/.

Find additional information about the mission at swot.jpl.nasa.gov/.

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