The
moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (
MODIS) is a
payload scientific instrument built by Santa Barbara Remote Sensing that was launched into
Earth orbit by
NASA in 1999 on board the
Terra (
EOS AM) Satellite, and in 2002 on board the
Aqua (EOS PM) satellite. The instruments capture data in 36 spectral bands ranging in wavelength from 0.4 µm to 14.4 µm and at varying spatial resolutions (2 bands at 250 m, 5 bands at 500 m and 29 bands at 1 km). Together the instruments image the entire Earth every 1 to 2 days. They are designed to provide measurements in large-scale global dynamics including changes in Earth's
cloud cover,
radiation budget and processes occurring in the oceans, on land, and in the lower atmosphere. MODIS utilizes four on-board calibrators in addition to the space view in order to provide in-flight calibration: solar diffuser (SD), solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM), spectral radiometric calibration assembly (SRCA), and a v-groove
black body. MODIS has used the marine optical buoy for vicarious calibration. MODIS is succeeded by the
VIIRS instrument on board the
Suomi NPP satellite launched in 2011 and future
Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) satellites.