ESSA-8 was a weather satellite launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on December 15, 1968, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

Its name was derived from that of its oversight agency, the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA).

It was made of aluminum alloy and stainless steel covered with 10,020 solar cells.

Each photo covered a 2,000-square-mile (5,200 km2) area at a resolution of 2 miles (3.2 km) per pixel.

ESSA-8's mission was to replace ESSA-6, and provide detailed cloud pattern photography to ground stations worldwide.