Last month, NASA issued the following statement regarding the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) mission aboard the International Space Station:
“The International Space Station offers a unique hosting opportunity for Earth science payloads where NASA can test new instrument approaches that can make major contributions to understanding the changing planet.
“NASA’s Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) aboard the space station is one of multiple instruments from the agency and others providing critical information about the Earth system and the effects of climate change.
“Demand is high for external attachment points on the station, and GEDI is scheduled to be temporarily replaced by a Department of Defense payload after more than four years of operations. However, the agency is planning to keep the instrument in space and reinstall it to continue through the life of the space station.
“The proposed solution calls for temporarily moving GEDI to an alternate location, where it will remain offline for about 18 months while a DOD technology payload completes its mission. In 2024, GEDI will return to its original location and resume operations on the station.”
For more information about GEDI Level 1 and Level 2 data, contact NASA’s Land Processes DAAC (LP DAAC). For information about GEDI Level 3 and 4 data products, contact NASA’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory DAAC (ORNL DAAC).
