GOLD

Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk Program

Imaging the boundary between Earth and space

The Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission is a NASA Mission of Opportunity that fills a critical gap in our knowledge of Sun-Earth connections. It is examining the response of the upper atmosphere to forcing from the Sun, the magnetosphere, and the lower atmosphere. GOLD provides unprecedented imaging of Earth’s upper atmosphere from geostationary orbit to study the weather of the thermosphere-ionosphere. It has made breakthrough measurements of temperature and composition that are important for satellite drag and ionospheric disruptions of communication and navigation.

Mission Class:

Larger Missions

Mission Status:

Current

LASP Roles:

Research, Instruments, Data, Lead Institute

Science Target:

Earth's Atmosphere

Mission Focus:

Climate, Earth's Atmosphere, Ionosphere, Space Weather, Thermosphere

Primary Mission Site:

Launch Date: January 25, 2018
Prime Mission: 2 years
Extended Mission: 2024

Lead Institution: LASP

Lead Funding Agency: NASA Heliophysics Mission of Opportunity

Partners: University of Central Florida, National Center for Atmospheric Research, SES Government Solutions, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, University of California, Berkeley, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Computational Physics, Inc