NASA will soon launch a satellite that will study and combat the effects of extreme weather phenomena such as droughts by measuring the moisture found in soil.

The launch of the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite is scheduled for January 29 at 9:20 a.m. EST at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The satellite is unique as it will have the largest rotating mesh antenna to be launched into space.

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According to SMAP instrument manager, Wendy Edelstein, this antenna is called a spinning lasso measuring 19.7 feet in diameter. NASA Jet Propulsion Lab engineers took the design of SMAP as a challenge and designed the satellite in such a way it can fit into a one foot by four feet space.

The antenna will spin at some 14 revolutions per minute or about one rotation every four seconds.

SMAP will use two microwave instruments to map the Earth every two days. It will measure the planet's current soil moisture two inches beneath its surface. Data will provide scientists and farmers sufficient data to build soil moisture maps and give reliable warnings about upcoming droughts.

This important information about upcoming droughts and weather patterns will help farmers adjust and change their irrigation patterns; delay planting crops and try other strategies to save crops and make agriculture processes more efficient.

Many farmers only rely on their own experience to figure out the moisture in soil. SMAP will give them better insights about the importance of soil moisture assessment.

According to Narendra Das, a scientist from SMAP's science team at JPL, SMAP will predict how dramatic or extreme droughts will become thereby helping farmers recover from droughts. 

TagsNASA Launches New Satellite to Track Earth's Moisture, NASA, US, SMAP, satellite NASA spinning lasso earth soil moisture