Nature: Scheduled for launch on 29 January, NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite will use microwave signals to measure soil-moisture levels everywhere on Earth and to determine whether the soil is frozen. Clear measurements of soil moisture will help improve water availability models, which are important for both urban and rural areas. The data will help insurance companies to improve crop price models and allow scientists to better monitor droughts and other climate trends. The information on frozen and thawed soil can be used by the military for planning troop movements and by scientists for measuring polar melt due to climate change.
