On 22 February ESAC (European Space Astronomy Centre), the European Space Agency (ESA)’s science center in Spain, hosted the international presentation of over three years of the European SMOS mission, a 3-arm, 69-antenna satellite launched back in November 2009 to study soil moisture and ocean salinity.

For three years now the SMOS satellite has been feeding ESA with constant information on oceanic circulation patterns and the water cycle. This gives scientists a better understanding of how the climate change is affecting us and also favors improvement of climate and meteorological models. New knowledge has also been gleaned on the movement of the Gulf Stream, one of the most studied ocean currents.

Spain has played a crucial role in the development of this satellite. SMOS’s onboard instrument MIRAS (Microwave Imaging Radiometer using Aperture Synthesis) was developed by EADS-CASA as prime contractor supported by a great number of Spanish subsystem providers, including GMV.

GMV, in particular, has been involved in the whole data-processing chain of the MIRAS instrument, with responsibility for developing the instrument processors. GMV’s participation in the SMOS mission began in the earliest project phases. As well as development of the MIRAS processors it has also been responsible for key elements of the ground control segment like the SMOS Product Quality Control (SPQC) the SMOS Plan Generation Facility (SPGF), based on flexplan, GMV’s inhouse mission-planning solution, and the Payload Operations and Programming Center (PLPC).

Outliving its initial three-year span, SMOS will now continue to provide the scientific community with top-quality and insightful information for a few more years yet.