The GRACE and GRACE Follow-On missions observe how mass moves through the Earth system by measuring small changes in the planet’s gravity field. The resulting record supports studies of groundwater, drought, ice sheets and glaciers, ocean mass, and other large-scale Earth-system processes.
GRACE Missions
Learn more about the two satellite missions that established and continue the global record of changes in Earth’s gravity field.
CSR Gravity-Field Products
GRACE and GRACE-FO Data Products
The datasets available through this portal are produced by the Center for Space Research (CSR) at The University of Texas at Austin from observations collected by the GRACE and GRACE Follow-On missions. They provide estimates of Earth’s gravity field and its changes through time, allowing scientists to study the movement and redistribution of mass throughout the Earth system.
CSR distributes these estimates in several forms, including spherical-harmonic gravity coefficients, mascon solutions expressed as mass anomalies, and other specialized gravity-field products. Most of the time-variable datasets represent changes averaged over approximately one month, creating a consistent record suitable for studying long-term and seasonal variations in water storage, ice mass, ocean mass, and related Earth-system processes.
The GRACE measurement concept is based on continuously tracking the changing separation between two satellites flying in the same near-polar orbit at an altitude of roughly 500 km and about 200 km apart. Spatial and temporal variations in Earth’s gravity perturb the two spacecraft differently, producing very small changes in the distance between them. GRACE measured those changes with a microwave ranging system, while GRACE-FO uses both microwave ranging and the Laser Ranging Interferometer.
Additional onboard instruments provide the information needed to isolate the gravity signal. Precision accelerometers measure non-gravitational forces acting on each spacecraft, star cameras determine spacecraft orientation, and GPS receivers provide accurate orbit position and timing. These observations, together with mission and ancillary data and appropriate geophysical background models, are analyzed to estimate the parameters of Earth gravity-field models.
The products published through this portal include operational Level-2 gravity fields, mascon and total-variation solutions, mean gravity-field models, Satellite Laser Ranging products, processing documentation, and visualization resources developed to support GRACE and GRACE-FO Earth science applications.
Current Data Release
Release 06.3 (RL06.3) is the current operational data release for CSR GRACE and GRACE-FO solutions. Unless otherwise noted, the datasets available through this portal correspond to RL06.3.
RL06.3 provides the latest reprocessed CSR gravity-field solutions using updated background models, reference frames, instrument calibrations, and processing methods to support a consistent data record across the GRACE and GRACE-FO missions.
Learn more about RL06.3 ProcessingAbout This Data Access Portal
This site brings together gravity-field products and related resources published by CSR for the GRACE and GRACE-FO missions. It provides direct access to time-variable gravity solutions, mean gravity fields, Satellite Laser Ranging products, processing documentation, and visualization tools.
The collection includes both operational and research products. Individual product pages describe the processing approach, data format, corrections, recommended use, download locations, and citation requirements.