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{{Short description|Series of Earth observation satellites}}

thumb|Jason satellites from 1992 to 2016 [[File:Six key facts about Copernicus Sentinel-6 ESA22236753.png|thumb|Copernicus Sentinel-6 by ESA]] The oceanographic altimeter satellites of the '''Jason series''' have been collecting high accuracy measurements of the global ocean's topography since early 1990s, providing a continuous data record of the ocean's response to climate change, especially sea level rise. They also measure topography of inland waters, which is important for understanding droughts and floods. The Jason series satellites have been developed and operated by a broad collaboration of US and European institutions including NASA, CNES, NOAA, EUMETSAT, and ESA. The latest iteration, two identical Jason-CS/Sentinel-6 satellites, is part of the European Union's Copernicus Programme.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Vaze |first1=Parag |last2=Fournier |first2=Severine |last3=Willis |first3=Josh K. |chapter=Reshaping Earth: How the TOPEX and Jason satellites revolutionized oceanography and redefined climate science |date=2023 |title=2023 IEEE Aerospace Conference |pages=1–7 |doi=10.1109/AERO55745.2023.10115735 |isbn=978-1-6654-9032-0 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Czogalla |first=Beate |date=October 7, 2025 |title=OUR SPACE: Michael Freilich's twin brother |url=https://unionrecorder.com/2025/10/07/our-space-michael-freilichs-twin-brother/ |work=The Union-Recorder}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-04-16 |title=Jason series |url=http://www.eumetsat.int/our-satellites/jason-series |access-date=2025-10-08 |website=EUMETSAT |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=July 10, 2025 |title=Jason |url=https://cnes.fr/en/projects/jason |website=CNES}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Puschmann |first=Sarah |date=31 October 2022 |title=The legacy of TOPEX-Poseidon |url=http://www.eumetsat.int/features/legacy-topex-poseidon |access-date=2025-10-08 |website=EUMETSAT |language=en}}</ref>

== Satellites == * '''TOPEX/Poseidon''' (1992–2006), predecessor to the Jason satellites * '''Jason-1''' (2001–2013) * '''OSTM/Jason-2''' (2008–2019) * '''Jason-3''', launched in 2016 * '''Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich''' (Jason-CS A: Jason Continuity of Service-A), launched in 2020 * '''Sentinel-6B''' (Jason-CS B: Jason Continuity of Service-B), launched in November 2025 * '''Sentinel-6C''', expected to launch in 2030s<ref>{{Cite web |title=WMO OSCAR {{!}} Satellite: Sentinel-6C |url=https://space.oscar.wmo.int/satellites/view/sentinel_6c |access-date=2025-11-08 |website=space.oscar.wmo.int}}</ref><ref>[https://ostst.aviso.altimetry.fr/fileadmin/user_upload/OSTST2022/Presentations/OPE2022-Sentinel-6_Michael_Freilich_mission_overview.pdf Sentinel-6 mission overview]</ref><ref>[https://lps25.esa.int/lps25-presentations/presentations/3288/_3288.pdf Living Planet Symposium 2025]</ref>

== See also ==

{{Portal|Spaceflight|Oceans }}

* Sea state * SWOT satellite * List of ESA programmes and missions * PROBA satellite series

== References == <references />

{{Copernicus programme|state=collapsed}}

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* Category:Earth observation satellites Category:Oceanographic instrumentation Category:Satellite series