The Landsat-8 mission, a collaboration between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provides global moderate-resolution data of the Earth's terrestrial and polar regions in the visible, near-infrared, shortwave, and thermal infrared. Launched in 2013, Landsat-8 extends the 40-year Landsat record and enhances capabilities with new spectral bands, two thermal bands, improved sensor performance, and a better duty cycle. This paper outlines the current (2012–2017) efforts of the Landsat Science Team (LST) to understand Landsat-8's capabilities and support priorities for terrestrial global change research. The LST focuses on evaluating Landsat-8's potential for new science and applications, developing higher-level products, identifying international constellation opportunities, and defining requirements for future missions. Landsat-8's sensors, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS), offer improved spatial and spectral resolution, with OLI providing 30 m resolution and TIRS offering 100 m resolution. The mission aims to maintain data continuity and consistency with previous Landsat systems, enabling long-term monitoring of land cover, surface albedo, temperature, evapotranspiration, and drought. The LST also emphasizes the importance of Landsat data for agriculture, land cover change, and climate studies, highlighting the need for consistent, moderate-resolution data for resource management and global change research. The paper concludes with future prospects, emphasizing the potential of combining Landsat data with other international sensing systems and the requirements for successor missions.The Landsat-8 mission, a collaboration between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provides global moderate-resolution data of the Earth's terrestrial and polar regions in the visible, near-infrared, shortwave, and thermal infrared. Launched in 2013, Landsat-8 extends the 40-year Landsat record and enhances capabilities with new spectral bands, two thermal bands, improved sensor performance, and a better duty cycle. This paper outlines the current (2012–2017) efforts of the Landsat Science Team (LST) to understand Landsat-8's capabilities and support priorities for terrestrial global change research. The LST focuses on evaluating Landsat-8's potential for new science and applications, developing higher-level products, identifying international constellation opportunities, and defining requirements for future missions. Landsat-8's sensors, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS), offer improved spatial and spectral resolution, with OLI providing 30 m resolution and TIRS offering 100 m resolution. The mission aims to maintain data continuity and consistency with previous Landsat systems, enabling long-term monitoring of land cover, surface albedo, temperature, evapotranspiration, and drought. The LST also emphasizes the importance of Landsat data for agriculture, land cover change, and climate studies, highlighting the need for consistent, moderate-resolution data for resource management and global change research. The paper concludes with future prospects, emphasizing the potential of combining Landsat data with other international sensing systems and the requirements for successor missions.