GEDI Forest-Mapping Instrument Returning to Operation on the International Space Station

After a year in hibernation, NASA’s Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) will return to its original location on the International Space Station (ISS) on April 22

The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) instrument will begin its return to operations on the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday, April 22—which, fittingly, is also Earth Day.

GEDI—pronounced the same way as a Star Wars fan would pronounce “Jedi”—provides precise measurements of forest canopy height, canopy vertical structure, and surface elevation using a laser measurement method called Light Detection and Ranging (lidar). Data from GEDI has been used widely to help researchers understand how changes in forest structure are impacting climate—atmospheric CO2 concentrations in particular—and how we can use forests to potentially slow global warming.  

GEDI was moved into hibernation upon the completion of its first mission, which lasted from December 2018 to March 2023. It is scheduled to be moved out of hibernation and into the same ISS spot that it had previously called home on the evening of April 22. It will be powered up around 9 a.m. EST on Tuesday, April 23, after which point the GEDI research team hopes it will be able to collect data through 2030. 

“GEDI had an amazing four years of operation that produced tremendous science value for the community. I am thrilled that NASA has given GEDI  the opportunity to once again begin collecting these important measurements,” said Ralph Dubayah, GEDI’s Principal Investigator and a Distinguished University Professor in the University of Maryland’s Department of Geographical Sciences.

For additional GEDI news and updates, follow @GEDI_Knights on X.

Photo of GEDI in motion is provided by NASA

Published on Thu, Apr 18, 2024 - 2:13PM