NASA, Caltech Partner on Two Earth Science Missions
NASA and Caltech have signed non-reimbursable Space Act Agreements for two Earth science missions on Aug. 14: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) and Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3). The partnership will last up to five years with NASA maintaining ownership of both missions and Caltech operating the missions and science data systems, including creating new data products. The post NASA,…
NASA and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have entered into non-reimbursable Space Act Agreements to collaborate on two Earth science missions: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) and Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3). This partnership, which can extend over five years, will see Caltech operating the missions and managing science data systems, while NASA retains ownership.
The agreements were announced on August 14, following a call for partnerships on January 8 and an International Space Station NASA Research Announcement on August 11, 2025. The OCO-2 satellite was launched by NASA in 2014 with a two-year mission, which it has since extended. In 2019, the OCO-3 instrument was added to the International Space Station, with a three-year mission that has also been extended.
These missions continue to provide valuable data well beyond their initial durations. Public-private partnerships like this one foster the development of new data products, enhance national scientific capabilities, and showcase how innovative collaborations can lead to breakthroughs that neither sector could achieve independently.
For more information about NASA Space Act Agreements, interested parties can visit the NASA partnerships website.
Written by urgent.news from NASA Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
