# GEDI ISS deployment
*missions*

## Specifications
- **operator**: nasa
- **actual launch**: "2018-12-05T00:00:00.000Z"
- **current status**: extended
- **orbit type**: ISS orbit, about 407 km altitude, 51.6 degree inclination, non-sun-synchronous
- **tasking supported**: 0
- **archive depth years**: 7
- **last verified date**: 2026-05-24
- **verified by**: agency-doc
- **claim status**: agency-sourced

## Editorial
GEDI (Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation) is a NASA full-waveform lidar instrument installed on the International Space Station in December 2018 [^science-gedi][^gedi-timeline]. The instrument was developed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center with the University of Maryland as the science lead. It uses three 1064 nm lasers dithered to eight ground tracks spaced approximately 600 m apart, each with a 25 m footprint, scanning up to 40 km either side of the ISS groundtrack [^gedi-instrument-overview][^gedi-specs]. Science objectives include high-resolution mapping of forest canopy height, vertical structure, and above-ground biomass [^gedi-instrument-overview].

GEDI's two-year design life was extended twice: first in March 2021 and again in March 2023 [^gedi-timeline]. A temporary hibernation period ran from March 2023 to 22 April 2024, after which data collection resumed [^gedi-timeline]. The mission was active through at least May 2026, with no public decommission date announced. The seven-year calendar archive (December 2018 to May 2026) includes approximately a 13-month gap during the hibernation period. Data are distributed through NASA Earthdata [^earthdata-gedi]. The ISS orbit at approximately 407 km altitude and 51.6 degree inclination limits coverage to latitudes below about 51.6 degrees and results in a variable, non-sun-synchronous revisit pattern.

## Compositional position
- GEDI ISS deployment --[mission_payloads]--> gedi (products)

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