GRACE and GRACE-FO Level-1 Data Processing Status

Abstract

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO), launched in May 2018, provides invaluable information about mass change in the Earth system, continuing the legacy of GRACE. Fundamental requirements for successful mass change recovery are precise orbit determination and inter-satellite ranging, determination of the relative clock alignment of the ultra-stable oscillators (USOs), precise attitude determination, and accelerometry. NASA/Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory is the official Level-1 data processing and analysis center and provides weekly Level-1A/B data updates. Here we present analysis of the aforementioned GRACE-FO sensor data, status of the accelerometer transplant calibrations, as the basis for Level-2 release RL06.3, and a discussion of the overall GRACE-FO measurement system performance through Solar cycle 25. We also provide an update on current GRACE/GRACE-FO reprocessing efforts toward a future unified Release-07 data record. The research presented in this abstract has been carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ©2026 California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged.