A satellite meant to map the world's oceans, lakes and rivers was launched into orbit on Friday. It aims to enable scientists to better understand climate change.

The satellite, nicknamed SWOT — short for Surface Water and Ocean Topography — was developed by France and the United States.

The satellite was launched before dawn in the US aboard a SpaceX rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Why is the satellite important?

The satellite uses advanced microwave radar technology to gather measurements of oceans, lakes and rivers, which is essential given that climate change has exacerbated droughts, flooding and coastal erosion.

"SWOT will measure the height of water in freshwater bodies and the ocean on more than 90% of Earth's surface," NASA said in a statement.

The information will provide insights into how the ocean influences climate change and how a warming world affects lakes, rivers and reservoirs, officials said.

Most importantly perhaps, the satellite should monitor the location and the speed of rising sea levels and the shifting of coastlines, allowing scientists to relay information about potential flooding.

The satellite also makes possible for people to bolster weather forecasts, study the ocean's topography and measure how bodies of water change over time. 

Water-monitoring mission to last three years

The mission will last three years, with the satellite's orbit meaning it can cover most of the globe roughly every three weeks.

"We're going to be able to see things that we could not just see before… and really understand where water is at any given time," said Benjamin Hamlington at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

SWOT, which orbits the globe around 550 miles (890 kilometers) in altitude, was developed by NASA and France's Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES) at a cost of $1.2 billion, along with contributions from the Canadian and the UK space agencies.

2022 has been a busy year for NASA and other milestones include shots of the universe from the new James Webb Space Telescope, the collision of a small spacecraft into an asteroid as a first test of a potential planetary defense technology, and the Orion capsule's return from the moon following a test flight.

rm/msh (Reuters, AP)