Aqua satellite. Composite image of the Aqua Earth observation satellite over a hurricane on Earth. Aqua is designed to study the water cycle and global temperature changes. It is hoped that the data collected by the satellite will aid understanding of climate change and weather system formation and movement. Aqua was launched on 4th May 2002 as the latest in NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) of satellites. EOS is part of the Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) program. Other EOS satellites include Terra, which was launched in 1999. Aqua is a collaborative venture between NASA and the Japanese Space Development Agency NASDA.