NASA's ICESat-2 satellite has received major upgrades in its latest software release (release007) that significantly improve how it measures sea ice height from space. The previous system struggled with rough ice surfaces and melt ponds, but two new solutions have been added to help address these problems: automatic melt pond detection, and advanced statistical modeling that better captures the natural variation in sea ice surfaces. Researchers measure how well these improvements work by comparing the new data with aircraft measurements over the same areas. These enhancements represent a major step forward in satellite-based ice monitoring, helping scientists better understand how sea ice is changing over time.