NASA Logo in the header
Sciences and Exploration Directorate 
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Operational

Soil Moisture Active-Passive Mission (SMAP)

The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission is an orbiting observatory that measures the amount of water in the surface soil everywhere on Earth. It was launched in January 2015 and started operation in April 2015. The SMAP radiometer has been operating flawlessly. The radar instrument, ceasing operation in early 2015 due to failure of radar power supply, collected close to 3 months of science data. The prime mission phase of three years was completed in 2018, and since then SMAP has been in extended operation phase.

Organizations
Launch Date
January 31, 2015
Class
Flight Project
Websites
Key Staffs

The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission is an orbiting observatory that measures the amount of water in the surface soil everywhere on Earth. It was launched in January 2015 and started operation in April 2015. The SMAP radiometer has been operating flawlessly. The radar instrument, ceasing operation in early 2015 due to failure of radar power supply, collected close to 3 months of science data. The prime mission phase of three years was completed in 2018, and since then SMAP has been in extended operation phase.

Related Publications

2026. "TEC Signature in Soil Moisture Active/Passive (SMAP) L-Band Microwave Radiometer Measurements.", IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 64 1-7 [10.1109/tgrs.2026.3672714] [Journal Article/Letter]

2026. "Consistent Soil Moisture and Vegetation Optical Depth From Relatively Calibrated SMOS Brightness Temperatures With SMAP.", IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, 19 9174-9193 [10.1109/jstars.2026.3666810] [Journal Article/Letter]

2026. "Revisiting the application of variable infiltration capacity (VIC) model in the Colorado River Basin using SMAP and GRACE.", Scientific Reports, 16 (1): 15890 [10.1038/s41598-026-47430-9] [Journal Article/Letter]

2026. "Advancing Water Security and National Preparedness Through Earth Science Observations and the Earth Science Workforce.", Earth and Space Science, 13 (4): e2025EA004804 [10.1029/2025ea004804] [Journal Article/Letter]

2026. "Statistical and machine learning for improving the utility of soil moisture networks for satellite‐based soil moisture product assessment in the Upper Missouri River Basin.", Vadose Zone Journal, 25 (2): e70086 [10.1002/vzj2.70086] [Journal Article/Letter]

Contact Us

For general inquiries about the Sciences and Exploration Directorate.

Jocelyn Lynch

Project Support Specialist

301-286-6066 jocelyn.m.lynch@nasa.gov
Ellie Jeffries

Project Support Specialist

301-286-6066 ellie.jeffries@nasa.gov
Technical issues with this website may be reported to ben.pelletier@nasa.gov.
General inquiries about the scientific programs at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center may be directed to the Center Office of Communications at 1.301.286.8955.