Landsat-4 and Landsat-5

Featured

HEDAVI Tutorial: how to search for images in HEDAVI’s Explorer mode

The Explorer mode of the HEritage DAta VIsualisation tool (HEDAVI) allows users to process on-the-fly, visualise, share and export Earth observation data from ESA’s Heritage and Third Party Missions.

New Landsat-5 TM Data Collections Opened to Users

ESA, through the Third Party Missions (TPM) Programme, is pleased to announce that three new collections of Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper (TM) data have been opened to the public.

New version of Third Party Missions data access guide

ESA’s Third Party Missions data access guide is now updated, providing the details of the latest data collections and changes to existing datasets.

Easy visualisation of Earth observation data with new HEDAVI tool modes

The Discover mode in HEDAVI showcases the usefulness of Earth Observation (EO) data in a variety of applications through a list of case-studies—so-called “stories”. The first new feature allows users to share links to the stories in HEDAVI. The second new feature allows them to export any image of a case-study from the Discover mode to the Explorer mode.

HEDAVI Discover: a step-by-step guide

The Heritage Data Visualisation tool (HEDAVI) is a platform developed by the French Science Consulting for Earth Observation group, VisioTerra, which allows users to freely access over 40 years of ESA Earth Observation Heritage data, Third Party Missions and some Copernicus data.

About Landsat-4 and 5

The Landsat programme is a joint USGS and NASA-led enterprise for Earth observation that represents the world's longest running system of satellites for moderate-resolution optical remote sensing for land, coastal areas and shallow waters.

Landsat-4 was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on 16 July 1982 and the mission ended on 15 June 2001.

Landsat-5 was launched on 1 March 1984 from the same launch site, and the mission ended on 5 June 2013.

*Landsat-4 and Landsat-5 Parameters*
	Landsat-4	Landsat-5
Launch Date	16 July 1982 (Within a year of launch, Landsat 4 lost the use of two of its solar panels and both of its direct downlink transmitters. The downlink of data was not possible until the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) became operational). In 1987 the TM instrument was switched off.	1 March 1984
End Date	15 July 2001 (Removed from operations on 14 December 1993)	5 June 2013 (MSS acquisitions ended in 1999 and TM in November 2011. However MSS was powered back on in 2012 and limited acquisitions were made until January 2013).
Orbit Height	705 km	705 km
Orbit Type	Sun-synchronous near-polar	Sun-synchronous near-polar
Orbit Period	99 min	99 min
Repeat cycle	16 days	16 days
Inclination	98.2°	98.2°

Landsat-4 and 5 are part of ESA's Third Party Missions Programme, in which ESA has an agreement to distribute data products from the missions.

Landsat-4 and 5 Objectives

Landsat's Global Survey Mission is to image repetitively Earth's land and coastal areas with the aim of monitoring changes to those areas over time.

Landsat-4 and 5 Instruments

The Multi Spectral Scanner (MSS) instrument was carried aboard the Landsat-1 to 5 missions between 1972 and 2013. The objective of MSS was to provide repetitive daytime acquisition of high-resolution, multispectral data of the Earth's surface on a global basis and to demonstrate that remote sensing from space is a feasible and practical approach to efficient management of the Earth's resources.
find out more

The Thematic Mapper (TM) was a multispectral scanning radiometer operating in the visible and Infra-Red regions of the Electromagnetic Spectrum that was carried on board Landsat-4 and 5. TM is regarded as a second generation imager for monitoring Earth's resources with considerably improved spectral and spatial resolutions over those of the MSS instrument.

find out more

Landsat-4 and 5 Data

DATA COLLECTIONS

Through the Online Dissemination server, ESA offers registered users access to the following data collections:

DATA TOOLS

Landsat-5 data can be visualised through the HEDAVI (HEritage DAta Visualisation) service. HEDAVI allows you to discover a wealth of heritage data from ERS and Envisat missions, as well as from Landsat-5 and 7, two important heritage Third Party Missions, through ESA's Long Term Data Preservation programme.
find out more

DATA QUALITY REPORTS

Quality Control is monitoring routinely the status of the spacecraft (payload and platform) and to check if the derived products meet the quality requirements along mission life-time. Learn about the quality control activities for the MSS and TM instruments: