TOPEX
TOPEX, short for Topography Experiment and commonly referred to as the TOPEX/Poseidon mission, was a joint satellite mission by NASA and CNES (the French space agency) designed to map the world’s ocean surface topography with high precision. Its primary objective was to measure sea surface height globally over a long, continuous record in order to study ocean circulation, mesoscale dynamics, and climate variability.
The mission carried the Poseidon radar altimeter, which emitted radar pulses toward the ocean surface and measured
Launched in 1992, TOPEX/Poseidon operated for more than a decade, contributing a foundational global sea surface
Legacy and influence: TOPEX/Poseidon paved the way for the continuation of satellite altimetry through later missions