# GRACE-FO
*missions*

## Specifications
- **operator**: nasa
- **actual launch**: 2018-05-22
- **current status**: operational
- **orbit type**: Twin near-polar low Earth orbiters separated by about 220 km
- **tasking supported**: false
- **current geographic priority**: Global
- **entity type**: mission
- **last verified date**: 2026-06-08
- **verified by**: agency-doc
- **claim status**: agency-sourced
- **provider**: nasa
- **attributes**: {"operator":"nasa","actual_launch":"2018-05-22","current_status":"operational","orbit_type":"Twin near-polar low Earth orbiters separated by about 220 km","tasking_supported":false,"current_geographic_priority":"Global"}
- **relevance**: in-scope

## Editorial
GRACE-FO (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On) is a NASA and GFZ twin-satellite gravity mission launched on 22 May 2018 [^jpl-gracefo]. It extends the GRACE mass-change record by measuring month-to-month variations in Earth's gravity field with paired spacecraft [^jpl-gracefo]. Each spacecraft carries microwave K-band ranging, accelerometers, GPS receivers, and the Laser Ranging Interferometer technology demonstration [^jpl-gracefo][^gracefo-spacecraft]. GFZ's German contributions included scientific analysis, mission operations support, Laser Ranging Interferometer development, data products, and laser retroreflectors; the launch was a NASA-contracted SpaceX Falcon 9 flight from Vandenberg [^jpl-gracefo][^gfz-gracefo].

## Compositional position
- GRACE-FO --[mission_payloads]--> kbr (products)
- GRACE-FO --[mission_payloads]--> superstar-accelerometer (products)
- GRACE-FO --[mission_payloads]--> lri (products)
- GRACE-FO --[data_products_from_missions]--> jpl-grace-grace-fo-mascon-rl06m (data_products)
- jpl-grace-mascon-rl06-processing-chain (standards) --[related]--> GRACE-FO

## Sources
- [jpl-gracefo] | GRACE-FO mission, NASA JPL | https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/gravity-recovery-and-climate-experiment-follow-on-grace-fo/ | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-08
- [gracefo-spacecraft] | GRACE-FO spacecraft and instruments, NASA JPL | https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press_kits/grace-fo/mission/spacecraft/ | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-08
- [gfz-gracefo] | GRACE-FO project, GFZ | https://www.gfz.de/en/section/global-geomonitoring-and-gravity-field/projects/grace-fo | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-08

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