Completed missions

SMOS 

Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity

Mission: To observe soil moisture over the Earth's landmasses and the salinity over the oceans.

Soil moisture data are urgently required for hydrological studies and ocean salinity data are vital for improving our understanding of ocean circulation patterns.

The new radiometer will be demonstrated on the mission. In addition, the data acquired will advance our knowledge of the Earth's water cycle. Also, the data will lead to better weather and extreme-event forecasting, and contribute to seasonal-climate forecasting.

As a secondary objective, SMOS will also provide observations over regions of snow and ice, contributing to studies of the cryosphere.

Launch: 2 November 2009

DTU Space's involvement: DTU Space has developed the first polar-orbiting, space-borne, 2-D interferometric radiometer that is capable of observing both soil moisture and ocean salinity by capturing images of emitted microwave radiation around the frequency of 1.4 GHz (L-band).

Planck

Mission: To do the following:

1. determine the large-scale properties of the universe with high precision;
2. investigate the nature of dark matter and determine the amount of it;
3. test theories of inflation;
4. search for primordial gravity waves;
5. search for "defects" in space;
6. study the structures seen in the universe today;
7. study our galaxies and others in the cosmic microwave radiation. 

Launch: 14 May 2009

DTU Space's involvement: DTU Space has contributed to the Planck reflector system by ensuring that the system can endure very low temperatures. DTU Space also works with the German manufacturer of the reflectors to continue the development of the system.

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INTEGRAL

INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory

Mission: To investigate the emission of X-ray energy from the sources under study with the gamma-ray instruments; and to accurately determine locations of new sources discovered by INTEGRAL by use of JEM-X.

Launch: 17 October 2002

DTU Space's involvement: DTU Space is responsible for the development and manufacture of the two JEM-X X-ray monitor instruments.

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GRACE

Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment

Mission: To provide a map of gravity-field variations, accurate to within a centimeter. This provides scientists with a more accurate baseline against which to compare any subsequent change in the Earth's mass.

Launch: March 2002

DTU Space's involvement: Onboard each of the two satellites sits a star camera designed by DTU Space. The two cameras are coupled by a precise radar connection. Each camera insures that the radar always points precisely at the phase center of the receiver on the other satellite.