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A SPACEX rocket was launched from California carrying a US-French satellite designed to conduct the first global survey of the Earth's Surface waters, shedding new light on the mechanics and consequences of climate chantge. The Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite, or SWOT, incorporates advanced microwave radar technology to collect high definition measurements of ocean, lakes, reservoirs and rivers over 90% of the globe. The data compiled from radar sweeps of the planet at least twice every 21 days, will be used to enhance ocean-circulation models, bolster weather and climate forecasts and aid in managing scarce freshwater supplies in drought-stricken regions. Components of the SUV sized sattellite were built primarily by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Los Angeles and the French space agency CNES. Nearly 20 years in development by the US space agency with contributions from its counterparts in Canada and Britain, SWOT was one of 15 missions listed by the National Research Council as projects NASA should undertake in the coming decade. One major thrust of the mission is to explore how oceans absorb atmospheric heat and carbon dioxide in a process that naturally regulates global temperatures and has helped to minimize climate change.