Geodetic satellites

geodesy by means of artificial satellites

The GEOSAT (GEOdetic SATellite) was a U.S. Navy Earth observation satellite, launched on March 12, 1985 into an 800 km, 108° inclination orbit, with a nodal period of about 6040 seconds. The satellite carried a radar altimeter capable of measuring the distance from the satellite to sea surface with a relative precision of about 5 cm. Its 18-month initial phase was a classified Geodetic Mission with a near-23-day repeat that was intended to replicate the orbit of the short-lived Seasat. After this, the satellite was maneuvered into a near-17-day exact repeat for oceanographic research

American satellite dedicated to geodesy

defunct series of Soviet geodetic satellites

PAGEOS (PAssive Geodetic Earth Orbiting Satellite) was a balloon satellite which was launched by NASA in June 1966. It was the first satellite specifically launched for use in geodetic surveying, or measuring the shape of the earth, by serving as a reflective and photographic tracking target. At the time, it improved on terrestrial triangulations of the globe by about an order of magnitude. The satellite, which carried no instrumentation, broke up between 1975 and 1976. One of the largest fragments of the satellite finally deorbited in 2016.

NASA artificial satellite

pair of geodetic satellites

The Geo-IK-2 is a Russian series of new generation military geodesy satellites replacing the Soviet Union's Geo-IK and Sfera constellations. They are intended to be used to create high precision three-dimensional maps of the Earth's surface, and to monitor plate tectonics. The satellites are produced by ISS Reshetnev, and have a mass of around . They operate in a circular orbit at an altitude of around above the Earth's surface.