In April 2022, Terra began drifting to an earlier crossing time, reaching 10:15 am in October. In mid-October, Terra lowered its orbit by 6 km. After "constellation exit" ASTER science observations are continuing as before. Science observations will continue in concert with the changing MLT. The major effect will be that the ASTER surface sampling pattern will no longer be repeating every 16 days. However, sample locations will be reported with the data in the same format as current data. The ASTER single pixel footprint size will decrease about 1% with the lower orbit altitude, but will be maintained at 15m and 90m through re-sampling. We do not expect these orbit changes to have significant impacts to ASTER data quality.

The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is an imaging instrument onboard Terra, the flagship satellite of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) launched in December 1999. ASTER is a cooperative effort between NASA, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and Japan Space Systems (J-spacesystems). ASTER data are used to create detailed maps of land surface temperature, reflectance, and elevation. The coordinated system of EOS satellites, including Terra, is a major component of NASA's Science Mission Directorate and the Earth Science Division. The goal of NASA Earth Science is to develop a scientific understanding of the Earth as an integrated system, its response to change, and to better predict variability and trends in climate, weather, and natural hazards.