The R&D study had the objective to derive a mission concept for the long-term, highly precise and homogeneous derivation of the time variations of the Earth´s gravity field with much higher sensitivity and spatial resolution as available nowadays with GRACE and starting in 2018 with GRACE-FO.

The results of the study are described in

NGGM-D Team (ed.) with contributions by Baldesarra, M., Brieden, P., Danzmann, K., Daras, I., Doll, B., Feili D., Flechtner, F., Flury, J., Gruber, T., Heinzel, G., Iran Pour, S., Kusche, J., Langemann, M., Löcher, A., Müller, J., Müller, V., Murböck, M., Naeimi, M., Pail, R., Raimondo, J. C., Reiche, J., Reubelt, T., Sheard, B., Sneeuw, N., Wang, X. (2014): e2.motion – Earth System Mass Transport Mission (Square) – Concept for a Next Generation Gravity Field Mission – Final Report of Project “Satellite Gravimetry of the Next Generation (NGGM-D)”,  DGK Reihe B, Nr. 318, München 2014; ISBN 978-3-7696-8597-8; 200 S.

and are available here.

Project Partners:

• Institute for Astronomical and Physical Geodesy of the Technical University of Munich (IAPG, coordination)
• Geodetic Institute of the University Stuttgart (GIS)
• Institute for Physical Geodesy of the Leibniz University Hannover (IFE)
• Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) of the Leibniz University Hannover (AEI)
• Institute for Geodesy and Geoinformation of the University Bonn (IGG)
• TransMIT GmbH Gießen (IQM)
• SpaceTech GmbH Immenstaad (STI)
• Astrium GmbH (ASG)
• Department 1 Geodesy and Remote Sensing, Helmholtz Center Potsdam, German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ)

Project Duration:

• 06/2013-05/2014

Funding:

• DLR