CALIPSO

About This Satellite

CALIPSO was a NASA-CNES mission launched with CloudSat on April 28, 2006. It investigated clouds and airborne particles using lidar together with infrared and visible imaging. Instead of showing only a cloud top, its measurements helped reveal the vertical arrangement of atmospheric layers.

Laser light and radar were complementary

CALIPSO sent laser pulses and measured returned light, while CloudSat used radar. Combining their profiles provided information that either instrument alone could miss. This was coordinated scientific sampling by separate spacecraft, not two interchangeable weather cameras on one platform.

A profile is not a broad camera footprint

The lidar sampled a narrow path through the atmosphere. Its vertical profile should not be interpreted as a wide-area photograph or a complete three-dimensional scan of every nearby cloud. The track here is an orbital reference, not a reconstruction of a particular archived lidar acquisition.

Mission reference: NASA: CALIPSO mission and payload. Editorial review: 2026-09-12.

A useful view of volcanic ash

NASA describes CALIPSO observations during the 2010 Icelandic eruption as helping scientists assess volcanic ash and inform warnings to pilots. Layer height matters because particles at different altitudes can be transported differently. This historical application does not make the current catalog a live aviation-safety product.

Reference: NASA: CALIPSO lidar, CloudSat partnership, and volcanic ash.

Science collection ended before final shutdown

Science operations ended on August 1, 2023. NASA's constellation history records completion of passivation on December 15, 2023, followed by confirmation that the spacecraft no longer transmitted. These are separate milestones. Its archived measurements remain useful, but any later tracked orbit represents the inactive object rather than a working laser mission.

Reference: NASA: CALIPSO end of science and final passivation.

Reading this orbital snapshot

Based on TLE epoch: 2026-09-05. Estimated altitude ranges from 662 km at perigee to 664 km at apogee, a difference of 2 km. The orbital period is about 98.0 minutes. Eccentricity 0.00016 indicates a nearly circular path. In a two-body approximation, perigee speed is 1.00 times apogee speed. These are mean-element estimates, not instantaneous measurements. Distance per orbit uses an ellipse approximation.

Saved build snapshot. If a valid TLE is retrieved, this explanation and the orbit panel update together. Otherwise this dated snapshot is retained.

Ground track is not sensor coverage

An inclination of 98.45 degrees implies approximate geocentric ground-track limits of 81.6 degrees north and south. This is a retrograde orbit, moving against the direction of Earth rotation. The plotted line marks the point beneath the object. It does not represent camera coverage, radio reception, or a guaranteed visible pass.

Accuracy and missing information

The introductory record describes the build snapshot. The orbital snapshot explanation and orbit panel share any successfully retrieved TLE; check the displayed epoch. Reentered objects retain historical data only. Mission history is not rewritten by TLE updates. TLE/SGP4 positions are predictions and can change after maneuvers or updated observations. The 14-day stale-data cutoff is a display safeguard, not an accuracy guarantee. Local passes are geometric predictions, not a visibility forecast. No verified operator or mission status means unknown, not active. Do not use this catalog for collision avoidance or operational flight decisions.

Catalog sources: CelesTrak SATCAT: NORAD 29108 · GCAT: S29108 (source update 2026 Sep 4 2345:57). Supplementary metadata: SatNOGS DB, retrieved 2026-09-05T12:57:25.375Z. Page assembled 2026-09-15. GCAT phase codes describe trajectory phases, not mission health.

Learn more: TLE data · Perigee and apogee · Ground tracks · JOT (Jewawud Live Orbital Map)

Satellite Details