A new data set of thermospheric molecular oxygen from the Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission

The Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) instrument was launched on 25 January 2018 onboard the SES-14 commercial communications satellite and began nominal science operations in October 2018. Operating from geostationary orbit at 47.5°W longitude, GOLD images the Earth s thermosphere and ionosphere in the far-ultraviolet (132–162 nm), measuring critical geophysical parameters by continuously scanning the Earth s disk and limb 18 hours per day. GOLD also performs stellar occultation measurements using bright type O and B stars.