Australia signs on to be Landsat 8 Partner

Australia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States Geological Survey to become an international collaborator on the Landsat 8 program.

The Landsat series of satellites have been the longest running satellite series for imaging Earth from space. Since 1972, seven Landsat satellites have been launched, with Landsat 8 or the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) being launched on the 24th of January 2013.

The Landsat series of satellites have been vital to many Australian government programs as one of the primary sources of Earth Observation data since 1979. Most importantly, by signing up to the Landsat 8 program, the Australian government will achieve data continuity which is vital to examine data trends over years or decades.

The media release related to the MoU signature is available here, and some further interesting information about the Landsat series can be found over on Geoscience Australia's website here.