Landsat 9 Uses 15 Moon Scans to Calibrate OLI Band 4

1 articles · Updated · Science@NASA · May 26

January 3, 2026 scans had Landsat 9 turn from Earth to the full Moon and capture 15 measurements of lunar light to check OLI band 4 performance.
The Moon serves as a stable calibration target because it lacks an atmosphere and changes little, letting engineers detect sensor drift and correct it over time.
During two orbits, all 14 detector modules in the instrument’s focal plane imaged the Moon, with one module capturing it twice to complete the calibration sequence.
That monthly lunar check helps preserve the Landsat record dating to 1972, so scientists can reliably compare images across years and decades.
NASA and USGS also calibrate Landsat against uniform Earth sites such as White Sands and ground measurements, supporting uses from crop monitoring to tracking glacial and habitat change.

With Landsat Next's 26 bands, how will its calibration keep pace to maintain its 'gold standard' accuracy?

Will future Moon bases interfere with the lunar surface used to calibrate our Earth-observing satellites?

Is the 'unchanging' Moon truly stable enough to be the ultimate benchmark for decades of climate data?