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The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) is a new Earth orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) Program. The ESSP Program funds competitively selected, low to moderate cost Earth Science missions. These highly focused missions acquire exploratory measurements of the atmosphere, the oceans, the land surface and the solid Earth. These missions share a common goal of improving the capability of Earth scientists to predict changes in weather, climate and natural hazards.

After launch in 2009, the OCO mission will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the Earth's atmosphere. Scientists will analyze OCO data to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important greenhouse gas. This improved understanding will enable more reliable forecasts of future changes in the abundance and distribution of CO₂ in the atmosphere and the effect that these changes may have on the Earth's climate.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory will lead the OCO effort. Orbital Sciences Corporation and Hamilton Sundstrand Sensor Systems will partner with JPL to realize this vital mission.