ICESat and ICESat-2 polar ice altimetry missions (2003–present)

1. ICESat launched to measure ice-sheet elevation

   Jan 12, 2003Labels: ICESat, GLAS, NASA

   • NASA ICESat
   • SpaceRef

2. GLAS Laser 1 begins science measurements

   Feb 20, 2003Labels: GLAS, ICESat

   • Event Table
   • NASA ICESat

3. Unexpected failure of ICESat’s first laser

   Mar 29, 2003Labels: GLAS Laser, ICESat

   • Event Table
   • NASA ICESat

4. ICESat resumes observations with second laser

   Sep 25, 2003Labels: GLAS Laser, ICESat

   • NASA ICESat
   • Event Table

5. ICESat begins 33-day operational measurement period

   Feb 17, 2004Labels: ICESat, repeat ground

   • NASA ICESat
   • Event Table

6. NASA starts Operation IceBridge to bridge the gap

   Oct 1, 2009Labels: Operation IceBridge, NASA

   • Earth Observatory
   • NASA Sea Level

7. ICESat’s last laser stops working

   Oct 11, 2009Labels: ICESat, GLAS

   • Earth Observatory
   • ICESat Wiki

8. ICESat is decommissioned and later reenters

   Aug 14, 2010Labels: ICESat, decommissioning

   • Event Table
   • ICESat Wiki

9. ICESat-2 launches with ATLAS laser altimeter

   Sep 15, 2018Labels: ICESat-2, ATLAS, NASA

   • NASA Launch Blog
   • ICESat 2 Specs

10. ICESat-2 records first laser measurements (“first light”)

    Oct 3, 2018Labels: ICESat-2, first light

    • NASA Earth Matters
    • ICESat 2 Specs

11. ATLAS six-beam design enables better slope and coverage

    Dec 1, 2018Labels: ATLAS, ICESat-2

    • ICESat 2 Specs
    • TC Paper

12. NSIDC distributes free ICESat-2 data products

    Jan 1, 2019Labels: NSIDC, ICESat-2

    • ICESat 2 Data
    • Data Products

13. Operation IceBridge concludes after ICESat-2 transition

    Dec 31, 2019Labels: Operation IceBridge, ICESat-2

    • OIB Wiki
    • NASA Sea Level

14. ICESat-2 enables ongoing, repeat-cycle polar monitoring

    Jan 1, 2025Labels: ICESat-2, repeat orbit

    • ICESat 2 Specs
    • ICESat 2 Data