SWOT: payload and platform successfully mated

SWOT (Surface Water Ocean Topography) is a joint mission between French space agency CNES and NASA, with participation by their Canadian (CSA) and British (UKSA) counterparts. Featuring unprecedented technological innovations, the satellite will measure the surface height of lakes and waterways, as well as flowrates in rivers, and will also study ocean dynamics, all to a very high degree of precision. In July 2021, the payload, which had been integrated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the United States, was delivered to the Cannes plant of Thales Alenia Space, program prime contractor on behalf of CNES. The payload and platform were mated in August, with teams from JPL, CNES and Thales Alenia Space in attendance. It’s impossible to overemphasize the importance of a real team spirit in successfully completing such a large-scale program. We’re especially proud of our role in this exciting mission, alongside NASA and CNES, in an attempt to pave the way for revolutionary discoveries in oceanography a