Jason-1 is the first follow-on to the highly successful TOPEX/Poseidon mission that measured ocean surface
topography to an accuracy of 4.2 cm, enabled scientists to forecast the 1997-1998 El
Niño, and improved understanding of ocean circulation and its effect of global climate.
The joint NASA-CNES program will launch a French spacecraft on an American Delta-7920-10C from Vandenberg AFB. Like TOPEX/Poseidon, the payload will include both American and
French instruments. Jason-1 altimeter data will be part of a suite of data provided by
other JPL-managed ocean missions - the GRACE mission will use two
satellites to accurately measure Earth's mass distribution, and the QuikSCAT
scatterometer mission will measure ocean-surface winds.
Jason 1 features following instruments:
- JMR: Microwave radiometer
- TRSR: GPS tracking receiver
- LRA: Laser retroreflector array
- Poseidon-2: A solid state radar altimeter
- DORIS: Doppler tracking system receiver
Jason 1 was retired in July 2013 after 11.5 years in orbit, surpassing its 3 years design life. Its mission was continued by the Jason 2 and 3 satellites.
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