With a new satellite, the US space agency Nasa wants to measure almost all water surfaces on earth for the first time. The "SWOT" (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) mission started today, according to NASA.

Using a "Falcon 9" rocket from Elon Musk's private space company SpaceX, the satellite was launched from a spaceport in the US state of California. In addition to NASA, the space agencies of France, Canada and Great Britain are also involved in the mission.

For around three years, the satellite will measure the depths of the Earth's oceans, rivers and lakes and provide information on how freshwater and saltwater units are changing - where the water is, where it comes from and where it is going. The satellite can completely measure all rivers with a width of more than 100 meters and more than a million lakes with an area of ​​more than 62,500 square meters. This information can then be used, for example, to improve flood forecasts.