Aqua

The AQUA satellite was put into orbit on 4 May 2002 by NASA using its Delta II launcher. Its mission is to obtain information about the Earth's water. AQUA has 6 sensors to collect data on precipitation, evaporation, ice and snow cover, humidity in the atmosphere and at the Earth's surface, radiative energy flows, the temperature and colour of the oceans, and in general, data on the water cycle.

AQUA is the second satellite in the series including TERRA, launched in 1999, of which the mission is more directed to the study of changes in vegetation and desertification, and the future satellite Aura, which will study the atmosphere.