CryoSat: green light for launch campaign   The CryoSat mission provides data to determine the precise rate of change in the thickness of the polar ice sheets and floating sea ice. It is capable of detecting changes as little as 1 cm per year. The information from the CryoSat will lead to a better understanding of how the volume of ice on Earth is changing and, in turn, a better appreciation of how ice and climate are linked.   CryoSat-2 undergoing testing at the Space Test Centre at IABG (Industrieanlagen-Betriebsgesellschaft mbH) in Ottobrunn, Germany in June 2009.   Data from ESA’s CryoSat mission will lead to a better understanding of how the volume of ice on Earth is changing and, in turn, a better appreciation of how climate and ice are linked. Release date: 22 January 2010