# OCO-2 (Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2)
*missions*

NASA carbon-monitoring satellite launched July 2014; spectrometer primary mission is atmospheric CO2 column; SIF at 757 nm and 740 nm is a demonstrated complementary by-product with highest spatial resolution SIF retrievals from any satellite.

## Specifications
- **operator**: nasa
- **current status**: operational
- **actual launch**: 2014-07-02
- **orbit type**: SSO 705 km 98.2-degree inclination A-Train
- **tasking supported**: false
- **launch vehicle**: ula-delta-ii
- **entity type**: mission
- **last verified date**: 2026-06-11
- **verified by**: agency-doc
- **claim status**: unclaimed
- **provider**: nasa
- **attributes**: {"operator":"nasa","current_status":"operational","actual_launch":"2014-07-02","orbit_type":"SSO 705 km 98.2-degree inclination A-Train","tasking_supported":false,"summary":"NASA carbon-monitoring satellite launched July 2014; spectrometer primary mission is atmospheric CO2 column; SIF at 757 nm and 740 nm is a demonstrated complementary by-product with highest spatial resolution SIF retrievals from any satellite.","launch_vehicle":"ula-delta-ii"}
- **relevance**: in-scope

## Editorial
OCO-2 (Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2) is a NASA carbon-monitoring satellite launched on 2 July 2014 into a sun-synchronous orbit at 705 km altitude with a fixed equatorial crossing time as part of the A-Train constellation.[^eoport-oco2][^nasa-oco2]

The spacecraft carries a three-channel grating spectrometer covering the oxygen A-band (0.758-0.772 micrometres), the weak CO2 band (1.594-1.619 micrometres), and the strong CO2 band (2.042-2.082 micrometres). Its primary mission is the measurement of atmospheric column-averaged CO2 (XCO2) with precision of approximately 1 ppm to quantify regional carbon fluxes. Sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) retrieval at 757 nm and 740 nm has been demonstrated as a complementary data product, with SIF retrievals produced from OCO-2 spectra at spatial footprints consistent with the spectrometer design.[^eoport-oco2][^oco2-jpl]

OCO-2 is in an extended mission phase. Its fixed sun-synchronous crossing time distinguishes its sampling geometry from OCO-3, which is mounted on the International Space Station and observes at variable times of day. End-of-life for OCO-2 is projected for September 2026.[^nasa-oco2]

## Compositional position
- OCO-2 (Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2) --[successor]--> oco-3 (missions)

## Sources
- [eoport-oco2] | OCO-2 mission overview, eoPortal | https://www.eoportal.org/satellite-missions/oco-2 | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-11
- [nasa-oco2] | OCO-2 mission page, NASA Science | https://science.nasa.gov/mission/oco-2 | tier=operator-marketing | accessed=2026-06-11
- [oco2-jpl] | OCO-2 mission site, NASA JPL | https://ocov2.jpl.nasa.gov | tier=operator-marketing | accessed=2026-06-11

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