# CloudSat
*missions*

## Specifications
- **operator**: nasa
- **actual launch**: 2006-04-28
- **current status**: ended
- **orbit type**: Sun-synchronous LEO, about 705 km
- **tasking supported**: false
- **current geographic priority**: Global cloud and precipitation profiling along the CloudSat ground track
- **entity type**: mission
- **last verified date**: 2026-06-20
- **verified by**: agency-doc
- **claim status**: agency-sourced
- **provider**: nasa
- **attributes**: {"operator":"nasa","actual_launch":"2006-04-28","current_status":"ended","orbit_type":"Sun-synchronous LEO, about 705 km","tasking_supported":false,"current_geographic_priority":"Global cloud and precipitation profiling along the CloudSat ground track"}
- **relevance**: in-scope

## Editorial
CloudSat was a NASA research mission dedicated to profiling the vertical structure of clouds and precipitation from orbit. Launched on 28 April 2006 from Vandenberg Air Force Base aboard a Delta 7420-10C rocket alongside CALIPSO, the spacecraft operated from a Sun-synchronous orbit at approximately 705 km altitude with a 98.2-degree inclination, a 16-day repeat cycle, and a local equatorial crossing time near 13:30.[^nasa-cloudsat-science][^cloudsat-dpc-start]

The mission carried a single instrument: the Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR), a 94.05 GHz W-band nadir-looking profiling radar designed by NASA/JPL.[^eoportal-cloudsat] The CPR returned vertical profiles of cloud structure with 485 m vertical resolution and a sensitivity of -30 dBZ, enabling detection of thin cirrus and light precipitation previously invisible to passive radiometers.[^eoportal-cloudsat] From 2006 to 2018 CloudSat flew as part of the A-Train afternoon constellation; following a battery anomaly it was repositioned into the C-Train in February 2018 and continued science operations until 20 December 2023, when data collection ended.[^cloudsat-dpc-start][^nasa-cloudsat-end] The spacecraft was decommissioned in March 2024, having far exceeded its planned 22-month design life.[^nasa-cloudsat-end]

CloudSat produced the first global, three-dimensional survey of cloud vertical structure, substantially improving the accuracy of weather forecast models and climate simulations.[^nasa-cloudsat-science] Combined with the CALIPSO lidar mission flying in close formation, it provided a synergistic atmospheric dataset that advanced understanding of the Earth's radiation balance and water cycle.[^nasa-cloudsat-science] The spacecraft bus was built by Ball Aerospace on their BCP 2000 platform; Ball Aerospace was subsequently acquired by BAE Systems.[^eoportal-cloudsat][^nasa-cloudsat-end] The full science archive spans 2 June 2006 through 20 December 2023, with daylight-only collection from 27 October 2011 onward.[^cloudsat-dpc-start]

## Compositional position
- CloudSat --[mission_payloads]--> cpr (products)
- CloudSat --[related-topic]--> atmospheric-profiling (topics)
- CloudSat --[related-topic]--> precipitation (topics)
- CloudSat --[related]--> calipso (missions)

## Sources
- [nasa-cloudsat-science] | NASA Science mission page: CloudSat | https://science.nasa.gov/mission/cloudsat/ | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-20
- [cloudsat-dpc-start] | CloudSat Data Processing Center: mission time period | https://www.cloudsat.cira.colostate.edu/start-here | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-20
- [nasa-cloudsat-end] | NASA: CloudSat Ends Mission Peering Into the Heart of Clouds | https://www.nasa.gov/missions/cloudsat/nasas-cloudsat-ends-mission-peering-into-the-heart-of-clouds/ | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-20 | published=2024-04-23
- [wmo-cloudsat] | WMO OSCAR satellite record: CloudSat | https://space.oscar.wmo.int/satellites/view/cloudsat | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-20
- [eoportal-cloudsat] | eoPortal: CloudSat mission technical profile | https://www.eoportal.org/satellite-missions/cloudsat | tier=community | accessed=2026-06-20
- [ball-cloudsat-8yr] | Ball Aerospace CloudSat Spacecraft Celebrates Eight Years on-orbit | https://spacenews.com/ball-aerospace-built-cloudsat-spacecraft-and-calipso-instrument-celebrate-eight-years-on-orbit/ | tier=operator-press | accessed=2026-06-20

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Source: https://eo-atlas.org/missions/cloudsat
Maintainer: SpectraWorks B.V. (CC-BY 4.0)