By measuring the position of the water surface above the Earth center, the geoid is observed, and the gravity field can be computed through inverse calculations.

The satellite was actively controlled through thrust maneuvers to maintain the exact repeat orbit to within 1 km of the predefined ground track.

The U.S. Navy declassified parts of the Geodetic Mission data in 1990 that covered a doughnut-shaped area of ocean that surrounds Antarctica between 60 and 72 degrees south latitude.

[3] GFO carried a water vapor radiometer as well as a radar altimeter, and operated in the same orbit as GEOSAT's Exact Repeat Mission.

[4] GFO was scheduled for retirement on December 31, 2008, but in late September 2008, the deteriorating state of the spacecraft resulted in a decision to accelerate the shutdown.

Despite a series of system failures aboard the spacecraft, controllers were able to successfully lower GFO to a disposal orbit and shut it down on November 25, 2008.