Fitting Aquarius

Aquarius 2.5m composite reflector being fitted with gold foil covering in a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The NASA-built primary instrument on the spacecraft, will take NASA's first space-based measurements of ocean surface salinity, a key missing variable in satellite observations of Earth that links ocean circulation, the global balance of freshwater and climate. The mission is scheduled to launch in June.

Image credit: NASA