Satellite geodesy is geodesy by means of artificial satellites—the measurement of the form and dimensions of Earth, the location of objects on its surface and the figure of the Earth's gravity field b
Wettzell Laser Ranging System, a satellite laser ranging station
Artist's conception of GRACE
This graph shows the rise in global sea level (in millimeters) measured by the NASA/CNES ocean altimeter mission TOPEX/Poseidon (on the left) and its follow-on mission Jason-1. Image credit: University of Colorado
Geodesy or geodetics is the science of measuring and representing the geometry, gravity, and spatial orientation of the Earth in temporally varying 3D space. It is called planetary geodesy when studyi
Satellite geodesy
…Satellite geodesy is geodesy by means of artificial satellites—the measurement of the form and dimensions of Earth, the location of objects on its surface and the figure of the…
Geoid, an approximation for the shape of the Earth; shown here with vertical exaggeration (10000 vertical scaling factor).
Height measurement using satellite altimetry
GPS Block IIA satellite orbits over the Earth.