GOCE

Launched on 17 March 2009, ESA's Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) mission was the first Earth Explorer mission in orbit. This novel mission delivered a wealth of data to bring about a whole new level of understanding of one of Earth's most fundamental forces of nature – the gravity field. This sleek, high-tech gravity satellite embodied many firsts in its design and use of new technology in space to map Earth's gravity field in unprecedented detail.