NASA decided to launch a new Earth observation satellite

On January 11, 2013, NASA launched a new Earth observation satellite called LDCM or Landsat 8 and will be put on orbit on February 11.

The US Geological Survey said the new Earth Observation Satellite LDCM was scheduled to launch on February 11, 2013, replacing the Earth observation satellite Landsat 5 that would be shut down in the next few months.

LDCM satellite will implement the mission of observing the Earth - (Photo: LiveScience)

LDCM brings with it two new tools: the ground image receiver and the infrared sensor. These two tools help to have better images than previous Landsat satellites."The LDCM is very sensitive to changes on the surface of the Earth," said Jim Irons, a scientist with the LDCM project .

This new satellite is 6m long, weighs about 2,720kg, which is about the size of a large 2-bridge car. LDCM has a route like the Landsat 5 route. It will fly around the Earth 14 times a day and return to its old position every 16 days.

LDCM satellites help geologists to monitor tropical deforestation, urban expansion, disaster impacts, melting of ice . every data collected by satellites will be released for free to the public. them.

Scientists hope LDCM will work well and maintain for a long time. Landsat 5 is currently the satellite that performs the longest Earth observation mission in history, circling the Earth more than 150,000 times and recording more than 2.5 million images.