Status of MODIS instrument and radiometric calibration

Since launch, Terra and Aqua MODIS have successfully operated for more than 13 and 11 years, respectively. MODIS observations, made in 36 spectral bands covering wavelengths from visible to long-wave infrared, have enabled a broad range of science and research activities and made significant contributions to the earth remote sensing applications. MODIS on-orbit calibration is performed by a set of on-board calibrators (OBC). In addition, lunar observations are made regularly to monitor sensor radiometric calibration stability. This paper provides an overview of the Terra and Aqua MODIS instrument operation and calibration activities, and summarizes their radiometric calibration performance. Also discussed in this paper are the latest changes made in MODIS L1B collection 6 (C6), remaining challenging issues, and future calibration effort.