ICESat-2 (
Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 2), part of
NASA's
Earth Observing System, is a planned
satellite mission for measuring ice sheet mass elevation, sea ice freeboard as well as land topography and vegetation characteristics. ICESat-2 is a planned follow-on to the
ICESat mission. It will be launched in 2017 from
Vandenberg Air Force Base in California into a near-circular, near-polar orbit with an altitude of approximately 496 km. It is being designed to operate for 3 years, and will carry enough propellant for 7 years.