# FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2
*missions*

FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 is a GNSS radio-occultation constellation for low-latitude atmospheric profiling.

## Specifications
- **operator**: noaa
- **entity type**: mission
- **last verified date**: 2026-06-11
- **verified by**: agency-doc
- **claim status**: agency-sourced
- **provider**: noaa
- **attributes**: {"summary":"FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 is a GNSS radio-occultation constellation for low-latitude atmospheric profiling.","operator":"noaa"}

## Editorial
FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 is a six-satellite GNSS radio occultation constellation operated by NOAA in partnership with Taiwan's National Space Organization (NSPO), UCAR, the US Air Force, and JPL.[^ucar-cosmic2-overview] The constellation launched on 25 June 2019 aboard a Falcon Heavy from Cape Canaveral and reached its mission design orbits in February 2021 after orbital adjustments from the initial 720 km deployment altitude.[^eoportal-formosat7][^ceos-cosmic2]

All six satellites orbit at 520-550 km altitude and 24 degrees inclination, spaced across six orbital planes 60 degrees apart.[^wiki-cosmic2][^ucar-cosmic2-overview] The 24-degree-inclination orbits concentrate coverage over the tropical and subtropical atmosphere. Each satellite carries the TGRS Tri-GNSS Radio-occultation System (JPL/NASA), a multi-constellation receiver tracking GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo signals, along with an Ion Velocity Meter for ionospheric plasma drift measurements and a Radio Frequency Beacon for ionospheric tomography science.[^ucar-cosmic2-overview][^ceos-cosmic2]

The constellation delivers more than 4000 high-quality profiles per day.[^ucar-cosmic2-overview] Multi-constellation reception substantially increases profile throughput compared to the single-constellation IGOR receiver on COSMIC-1, while the 24-degree orbit trades high-latitude coverage for enhanced sampling of the tropics relative to COSMIC-1's 72-degree inclination. Data are distributed in near real-time and post-processing modes through the UCAR CDAAC and Taiwan's TACC.[^ucar-cosmic2-overview]

## Compositional position
- cosmic-1 (missions) --[successor]--> FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2

## Sources
- [ucar-cosmic2-overview] | COSMIC-2 overview, UCAR COSMIC Program | https://www.cosmic.ucar.edu/global-navigation-satellite-system-gnss-background/cosmic-2 | tier=operator-engineering | accessed=2026-06-11
- [wiki-cosmic2] | COSMIC-2 Wikipedia article | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COSMIC-2 | tier=community | accessed=2026-06-11
- [eoportal-formosat7] | FormoSat-7/COSMIC-2 mission, eoPortal | https://www.eoportal.org/satellite-missions/stp2-formosat-7 | tier=community | accessed=2026-06-11
- [ceos-cosmic2] | COSMIC-2/FORMOSAT-7 Mission Summary, CEOS Database | https://database.eohandbook.com/database/missionsummary.aspx?missionID=926 | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-11

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Source: https://eo-atlas.org/missions/cosmic-2
Maintainer: SpectraWorks B.V. (CC-BY 4.0)