Landsat 7 completed its final data transmission from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) at 1:08 pm Central Standard Time on June 4, 2025. The satellite was launched in April 1999 and will be officially retired after 26 years in orbit. It has been focusing on the scientific task of collecting image data of the Earth's land, inland waters, and coastal waters for 25 years.
However, the image data from Land Satellite 7 will be permanently retained. The data collected by satellite sensors between 1999 and 2024 is a core component of over 50 years of Earth surface imaging records in the Land Satellite series, and is currently stored in the archives of the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center.
The active scientific mission of Land Satellite 7 ended in early 2024, and its last batch of images was transmitted in May of that year. The satellite has been in orbit for over 8900 days, continuously collecting scientific data.
The uninterrupted scientific data collection results of satellites for 25 years will continue to provide important value for resource management, scientific discoveries, and related decision support in the coming years.
