A new video shows the dramatic moment a new NASA spaceship spread its wings and began its journey.
The acronym for Surface Water and Ocean Topography is the name of the satellite that was launched in December.
Before it can begin its mission of measuring the height of water over 90 percent of Earth's surface to provide scientists with the first-ever high-definition survey of our planet's water, it had to deploy its large mast and antenna panels.
NASA's Earth water satellite is a game-changing weapon in the battle against climate change.
Over the course of four days, the mast and antenna panels were unfurled, which was captured by four cameras.
In the video, the masts can be seen extending from the opposite side of the spaceship, and locking in place. The recording stopped before the cameras could take pictures of the masts. Data from the craft was used to confirm this.
A steady supply of power to operate is assured when the solar panel array is unfolded. It took about 10 minutes for this array to unfold, and was recorded by the cameras of the spaceship.
The Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) instrument is part of a 33 foot (10 meter) tall antenna. The instrument will be able to see small-scale features like eddies, currents, and other features less than 20 kilometers across, not only because it will observe and measure the height of water in Earth's freshwater bodies and ocean, but also because it will be able to see
KaRIn will look at Earth's bodies of water such as lakes, rivers, and even reservoirs that are bigger than 62,500 square meters.
The data is collected by bouncing radar waves off the surface of Earth's water. The area is around 50 kilometers from either side.
NASA says that the data it provides will assist scientists and politicians to address the pressing problem of climate change in order to help various communities prepare for a warmer climate.
The Canadian Space Agency, along with the U.K.'s Space Agency, contributed to the development of the project. The spaceship was first conceived in 2007.
NASA wrote on its website that it brought together two communities focused on a better understanding of the world's oceans.
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