How often does the Landsat program revisit the same location on Earth?

The correct answer is based on the mission characteristics of the Landsat program, which is designed to provide consistent, long-term observations of the Earth's surface. Landsat satellites have a specific revisit cycle due to their polar orbit and the arrangement of their paths around the Earth.

The Landsat program has established a revisit period of every 16 days. This means that a specific location on Earth will be captured by a Landsat satellite every 16 days, allowing for monitoring of changes over time, which is a critical aspect of geographic and environmental studies. This time interval is designed to optimize the balance between coverage and the frequency of observations across the entire globe while accommodating the operational limits of satellite tracking.

Understanding this revisit period is crucial for users of Landsat data, especially in fields such as agriculture, forestry, urban planning, and climate monitoring, where observing changes over time can provide valuable insights.