[Satellite TODAY 04-15-10] The European Space Agency (ESA) has started to receive data from the CryoSat-2 satellite, the organization confirmed April 13.
    The satellite, launched April 8 as part of Europe’s first mission dedicated to studying variations in Earth’s ice cover, entered polar orbit just minutes after launch last Thursday, marking the start of three days of intense activity.
    Mission controllers at ESA’s European Space Operations Center have been monitoring CryoSat-2 around the clock to ensure the satellite’s systems and payload were functioning normally.
    “Our first data were taken over the Antarctic’s Ross Ice Shelf, and clearly show the ice cover and reflections from underlying layers. These are excellent results at such an early stage and are a tribute to the hard work of the entire CryoSat community,” Duncan Wingham, CryoSat’s lead investigator, said in a statement.