ESA - GOCE - GOCE Earth Explorer satellite to look at the Earth’s surface and core

GOCE at a glance

The first of a series Looking into the forces that shape our planet A technological achievement An intimate portrait of Earth Facts and figures

About the spacecraft

Satellite Payload

About the launch

Launch overview Launcher After launch GOCE data

Meet the team

Danilo Muzi, Project Manager Rune Floberghagen, Mission Manager Reiner Rummel, Chairman Mission Advisory Group Mark Drinkwater, Mission Scientist Roger Haagmans, Mission Scientist Andrea Allasio, Thales Alenia Space Project Manager Michael Fehringer, System Manager Paolo Laberinti, Head of Verification and Testing Miguel Aguirre, Technical Officer for Definition Phase Daniel Lamarre, Gradiometer Engineer Juan Piñeiro, Spacecraft Operations Manager Stefano Capitanio, Launch Campaign Manager Pascal Gilles, Head of Earth Explorer Payload Data Ground Segment

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GOCE Earth Explorer satellite to look at the Earth’s surface and core

22 August 2008

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GOCE positioned on the rotary table for an alignment check during launch campaign at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome

Credits: ESA

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GOCE will map the global variations in Earth's gravity with extreme detail and provide a unique model of the gravity field and geoid. The geoid is the surface of equal gravitational potential defined by the gravity field and is crucial for improving our understanding of ocean circulation, sea-level change and terrestrial ice dynamics, all of which are affected by climate change. GOCE-derived data will also provide new insight into processes occurring in the lithosphere and upper mantle. In addition, data will be used for practical applications such as surveying and levelling.

Credits: ESA - AOES Medialab

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ESA mission controllers in simulation for GOCE launch

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14 August 2008: Members of the "A" section of the Flight Control Team in simulation training for the scheduled 10 September launch of GOCE in the Main Control Room at ESOC, ESA's European Space Operations Centre, Darmstadt, Germany. The simulation included practicing immediate reactions in case of any unexpected problems with the ground segment or the spacecraft.

Credits: ESA

GOCE launch

Launch diary