NASA Selects Caltech to Operate the Orbiting Carbon Observatories

NASA has selected Caltech to operate the Orbiting Carbon Observatory missions (OCO-2 and OCO-3) beginning this fall. OCO-2, a satellite, and OCO-3, an instrument on the International Space Station (ISS), both identify where carbon is being emitted and where natural sinks such as forests and oceans are absorbing it. Data from the OCO missions have direct relevance to better understanding agricultural health, providing information about plant productivity and ecosystem health from farmlands to tropical and high-latitude forests.