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| MODIS Terra | |
|---|---|
| Name | Terra |
| Mission | Earth observation |
| Operator | NASA |
| Manufacturer | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center |
| Launch date | 1999-12-18 |
| Launch vehicle | Atlas IIAS |
| Orbit | Sun-synchronous |
| Instruments | Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR), CERES, ASTER |
MODIS Terra MODIS Terra is the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument aboard the Terra satellite, launched in December 1999 as part of a NASA Earth Observing System mission. The instrument contributes critical radiometric, spectral, and temporal observations used by agencies such as NASA, NOAA, USGS, European Space Agency, and research institutions including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Data from the instrument underpin global monitoring efforts by programs like Global Climate Observing System, International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, and Group on Earth Observations.
The instrument is a key payload on a polar, sun-synchronous platform developed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and launched by a vehicle procured from Lockheed Martin. It was designed to provide near-daily, multi-spectral imaging of the terrestrial, atmospheric, cryospheric, and oceanic systems. MODIS Terra works in concert with co-orbiting platforms and experiments such as Landsat, Aqua (satellite), NOAA-AVHRR, and Sentinel-3 to support observational continuity for programs like Climate Change Science Program and GEOSS.
MODIS is a cross-track scanning radiometer with 36 spectral bands ranging from visible to thermal-infrared, developed by teams at Raytheon, Santa Barbara Remote Sensing, and NASA Langley Research Center. The instrument's instantaneous field of view varies to provide spatial resolutions of 250 m, 500 m, and 1 km at nadir, with swath coverage designed to achieve global coverage every one to two days when combined with Aqua (satellite). Optical and detector subsystems trace lineage to technologies matured on missions including SeaWiFS, AVHRR, and Landsat 7 ETM+.
MODIS delivers a broad suite of standard geophysical products processed through NASA processing chains at centers such as MODAPS and distributed by the Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center and NASA Earth Observing System Data and Information System. Product categories include surface reflectance, land cover, vegetation indices (e.g., NDVI, EVI), aerosol optical depth, cloud properties, sea surface temperature, and cryosphere metrics like snow cover and sea ice extent. Users access Level 0 through Level 4 products compatible with toolkits from HDF Group, ESRI, Google Earth Engine, and open-source projects like GDAL and QGIS.
Operations are coordinated by teams at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and mission control partners such as White Sands Complex and Wallops Flight Facility. Calibration and validation rely on vicarious sites and campaigns involving institutions like NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and universities including University of Maryland and Colorado State University. On-orbit radiometric stability is monitored using lunar observations, onboard calibrators, and cross-comparisons with reference instruments on Aqua (satellite), Terra (satellite)'s co-instruments, and international sensors like AATSR.
MODIS data support multidisciplinary research and operational applications across programs and agencies such as Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, United Nations Environment Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Applications include biome classification and land-cover change driven studies linked to Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, fire detection and burned-area mapping used by Global Fire Emissions Database, aerosol monitoring supporting air-quality assessments from WHO, ocean primary productivity estimates tied to PICES and ICES, and cryosphere trend analyses relevant to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports. Ecology groups at Smithsonian Institution and public health research at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have used MODIS-derived vegetation and climate indices for habitat and disease-risk modeling.
Limitations include spatial and temporal trade-offs relative to higher-resolution platforms such as Landsat 8 and radiometric saturation in bright targets affecting comparisons with instruments like ASTER and Sentinel-2. Atmospheric correction, cloud contamination, and bidirectional reflectance effects require ancillary data and complex algorithms developed by teams at NOAA, NASA Goddard, and laboratories at University of California, Santa Barbara. Long-term data continuity faces challenges from sensor degradation, orbital drift, and the need for cross-calibration with successor missions including VIIRS on Suomi NPP and JPSS series.
MODIS builds on heritage from instruments such as AVHRR, SeaWiFS, and ASTER, and it has informed the design of successors including VIIRS and payloads on Suomi NPP. Collaborative instrument suites aboard Terra included MISR, CERES, and ASTER, each linked to research groups at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Langley Research Center, and international partners like JAXA and CSA. The scientific legacy continues through operational services at USGS, satellite missions in the Copernicus Programme, and academic long-term monitoring initiatives at University of Oxford and Imperial College London.