OCO-3's First CO2 Measurements

This image shows CO2 over the United States during OCO-3's first few days of science data collection. These initial measurements are consistent with measurements taken by OCO-3's older sibling, OCO-2, over the same area — meaning that even though OCO-3's instrument calibration is not yet complete, it is right on track to continue its (currently still operational) predecessor's data record.

The mission team expects to complete OCO-3's in-orbit checkout phase — the period where they ensure all instruments and components are working and calibrated correctly — in August 2019. They are scheduled to release official CO2 and solar-induced fluorescence data to the science community a year later; however, this data will likely be available sooner given the quality of the measurements that OCO-3 is already making.

The OCO-3 Project is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.

More information on OCO-3 can be found here: https://ocov3.jpl.nasa.gov/.