# @usgs on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DbI8B9hGhwD
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/69013803-usgs-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/d8b76c4cd9.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-07-23T15:01:10.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (@USGS) — https://gondola.cc/USGS

## Caption

Celebrating a legacy in Earth Observation! 🎉 🚀

On July 23, 1972, Landsat 1 launched into orbit and changed the way we see our planet. As the first satellite in what would become the world’s longest-running Earth observing program, Landsat 1 began a legacy of continuous, trusted, and scientifically valuable land imaging that still supports research, decision making, and stewardship today.

Within days of the launch, Landsat 1 acquired an image of an astounding 81,000-acre (327.8 square kilometers) fire burning in isolated, central Alaska. For the first time ever, scientists and resource management officials were able to see the full extent of damage from a fire in a single image while it was still burning.

Landsat 1 marked the beginning of a long partnership between the USGS and NASA that continues today. NASA developed, launched, and operated the satellite, while the USGS helped shape its scientific objectives and established the EROS Data Center to archive and distribute its imagery. Together, the two agencies laid the foundation for the enduring Landsat program.

From that first launch to the missions operating today, and those planned for the future, Landsat represents more than five decades of innovation, collaboration, and watching Earth change.

Here’s to where it all began! 🛰️🌎

🔗 Learn more about the first Landsat mission by clicking the link in today's USGS story.

📸1: Landsat 1 launched July 23, 1972, aboard a Delta 0900 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Credit: NASA
📸2: Smoke from a large wildfire in a central Alaska can be seen on this false color image acquired by Landsat 1 on July 27, 1972. Credit: USGS

#EarthObservation #LandsatLegacy

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## Tags

landsatlegacy, earthobservation

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