Jason-2

The Jason-2/Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM), the third in a U.S.-European series of satellite missions designed to measure sea surface height, successfully ended its science mission on Oct. 1. NASA and its mission partners made the decision to end the mission after detecting deterioration in the spacecraft's power system.

Jason 2 was an Earth satellite designed to make observations of ocean topography for investigations into sea-level rise and the relationship between ocean circulation and climate change. The satellite also provided data on the forces behind such large-scale climate phenomena as El Niño and La Niña.

The mission was a follow-on to the French-American Jason 1 mission, which began collecting data on sea-surface levels in 1992.