ESA title

The mission

ESA's Earth Explorer GOCE mission was dedicated to map Earth's gravity with unrivalled precision and provided the most accurate model of the 'geoid' ever produced to further our understanding of how Earth works. After more than four years in orbit, the mission came to a natural end on 11 November 2013, but the wealth of data from GOCE continues to be exploited to improve our understanding of ocean circulation, sea level, ice dynamics, Earth’s interior and climate change.

The launch

  • Date: 17 March 2009
  • Site: Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia
  • Launcher: Rockot
GOCE
GOCE liftoff
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Watch the GOCE launch live

17/03/2009 2070 views 0 likes
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Rockot launch tower
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GOCE launch confirmed for Tuesday 17 March

16/03/2009 728 views 0 likes
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Launch tower at Plesetsk
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Launch of ESA’s gravity mapping satellite delayed

16/03/2009 1809 views 0 likes
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GOCE ready for launch

16/03/2009 1263 views 0 likes
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Spacecraft Operations Manager Juan Piñeiro in ESOC's Main Control Room
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ESA teams in Germany, Russia in last GOCE rehearsal

15/03/2009 517 views 0 likes
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Launch tower
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GOCE timeline for 16 March 2009

13/03/2009 513 views 0 likes
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Ground Operations Manager
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Ground operations ready for GOCE launch

12/03/2009 1437 views 0 likes
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Follow GOCE launch on Twitter

11/03/2009 671 views 1 likes
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Launch tower at Plesetsk
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ESA's gravity satellite moves to launch pad

11/03/2009 1569 views 0 likes
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GOCE in orbit
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GOCE satellite launch – mapping the Earth’s gravity as neve…

09/03/2009 2812 views 0 likes
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ESA’s YouTube spotlights GOCE

09/03/2009 1003 views 0 likes
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GOCE Flight Dynamics team: practising for launch
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GOCE: Orbiting on the edge

06/03/2009 2648 views 1 likes
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European scientists take the measure of gravity

20/02/2009 816 views 0 likes
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GOCE in Plesetsk
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March launch planned for ESA's gravity mission

04/02/2009 1657 views 0 likes
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Different spheres of the Earth system
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Landmark year ahead for Earth observation science missions

16/01/2009 1986 views 0 likes
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GOCE mounted onto Breeze
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GOCE launch delayed until 2009

24/10/2008 2124 views 0 likes
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Manoeuvring GOCE in the cleanroom
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GOCE launch postponed

16/10/2008 912 views 0 likes
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Fairing with logos
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GOCE team gearing up for new launch date

02/10/2008 1056 views 0 likes
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J. Piñeiro
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GOCE Spacecraft Operations Manager: Interview with Juan Piñ…

26/09/2008 1033 views 0 likes
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GOCE in orbit
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Launch of GOCE delayed

08/09/2008 1525 views 0 likes
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Last look at GOCE
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Last-ever look at ESA's gravity satellite GOCE

04/09/2008 1233 views 0 likes
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GOCE positioned for alignment check
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GOCE Earth Explorer satellite to look at the Earth’s surfac…

22/08/2008 3670 views 0 likes
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ESA mission controllers in simulation training for GOCE launch
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Countdown for GOCE: launch simulation for ground team

14/08/2008 1564 views 0 likes
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Safe arrival for GOCE at Arkhangelsk
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GOCE arrives safely at launch site in Russia

05/08/2008 979 views 0 likes
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GOCE
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GOCE begins its journey to launch site

29/07/2008 1124 views 0 likes
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GOCE in ESA's test facilities
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GOCE prepares for shipment to Russia

24/07/2008 1304 views 0 likes
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GOCE in the Large Space Simulator
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September launch for ESA's gravity mission GOCE

27/05/2008 1703 views 0 likes
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GOCE
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GOCE Media day at ESA/ESTEC

20/03/2008 961 views 0 likes
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GOCE, mapping gravity as never before
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GOCE - Mapping gravity as never before

14/02/2008 678 views 0 likes
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Opening the transport container at ESA
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Gravity satellite GOCE arrives at ESA's test centre

27/08/2007 1460 views 2 likes
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Mount Everest
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Mapping mountains from space with GOCE

01/08/2007 2813 views 0 likes
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Celebrating completion of ESA's Earth Explorer, GOCE

30/07/2007 699 views 0 likes
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GOCE at Thales Alenia Space
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ESA’s Earth Explorer gravity satellite on show

19/07/2007 2038 views 1 likes
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GOCE satellite flight model in Alcatel Alenia Space, Turin, Italy
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Scientists view GOCE satellite

30/03/2007 1614 views 0 likes
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GOCE Data Announcement of Opportunity released

09/10/2006 455 views 0 likes
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Gradiometer instrument (excluding harness)
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Materials science helps GOCE satellite win performance

25/08/2006 2320 views 1 likes
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ArcGP grid, Jan 2006 (mGal)
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Learning about Arctic Ocean circulation & ice thickness by …

14/06/2006 573 views 1 likes
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GOCE satellite
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Third GOCE Workshop

07/04/2006 674 views 0 likes
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The Earth's gravity field (geoid)
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Earth’s gravity scar

25/04/2005 3177 views 1 likes
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Signing of the GOCE High-Level Processing Facility Contract
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Contract signed for GOCE data analysis and modelling

26/10/2004 702 views 0 likes
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Uncovering the GOCE structural model
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ESA’s gravity satellite arrives at ESTEC for testing

29/04/2004 1049 views 0 likes
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GOCE: orbiting on the edge
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Workshop on ESA’s gravity mission

18/03/2004 595 views 0 likes
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Rockot in its Launch Container with Stationary Mast ready for launch
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GOCE Launch Contract awarded to Eurockot

04/03/2004 1233 views 0 likes
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Earth Gravity Field from Space - from Sensors to Earth Sciences
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Earth Gravity Field from Space - from Sensors to Earth Scie…

12/12/2003 2076 views 2 likes
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GOCE User Workshop ‘GOCE the Geoid and Oceanography’ to be …

25/08/2003 507 views 0 likes
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ESA releases GOCE Announcement of Opportunity

27/05/2003 472 views 0 likes
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Announcement of Opportunities for GOCE

13/02/2003 575 views 0 likes
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Danish military airbase 'Station Nord' in Greenland
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Scientists brave the cold carrying out the European Survey …

31/05/2002 1257 views 0 likes
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Computer-aided design drawing of the GOCE satellite
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Construction of ESA’s Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean …

28/05/2002 1429 views 0 likes
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Surface gravity data, GOCE satellite gravity gradients and digital topography
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Workshop on Earth Gravity Field from Space

03/04/2002 559 views 0 likes
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