ESA &#8211; Watch EarthCARE launch dwell

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24/05/2024
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ESA’s Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) mission is preparing for lift-off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg, California, with a goal launch date of no sooner than 28 Might 2024. Save the date and watch the launch dwell on ESA WebTV or ESA YouTube.

EarthCARE, probably the most advanced of all of ESA’s Earth Explorer missions, will quantify and cut back the uncertainty concerning the function that clouds and aerosols play in heating and cooling Earth’s ambiance – contributing to our higher understanding of local weather change.

ESA’s cloud and aerosol mission

Understanding and monitoring Earth’s radiation stability is essential for addressing climate-related points and is one thing that may solely be finished from house.

Developed as a cooperation between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Company (JAXA), EarthCARE will look at the roll that clouds and aerosols play in reflecting photo voltaic radiation again into house and likewise in trapping infrared radiation emitted from Earth’s floor.

EarthCARE will, for the primary time, measure vertical profiles of cloud particles and aerosols, and their fall pace – offering new insights into interactions between clouds, aerosols and precipitation. It’s going to additionally register the distribution of water droplets and ice crystals and the way they’re transported in clouds.

This important knowledge will enhance the accuracy of each cloud improvement fashions and their behaviour, composition and interplay with aerosols, in addition to enhance future local weather fashions and help numerical climate prediction.

EarthCARE is supplied with four state-of-the-art instruments that work together to provide a holistic view of the interplay between clouds, aerosols and radiation.

The satellite’s atmospheric lidar delivers cloud-top information and profiles of thin clouds and aerosols. The cloud profiling radar, provided by JAXA, provides information on the vertical structure, motion and internal dynamics of clouds. The multispectral imager offers a wide-scene overview in multiple wavelengths, and the broadband radiometer directly measures reflected solar radiation and outgoing infrared radiation.

By using all four instruments at the same time, our understanding on the impact of clouds and aerosols on reflecting sunlight and trapping heat can be directly correlated with measured reflected solar radiation and emitted thermal radiation combined on one satellite.

EarthCARE will orbit Earth at an altitude of around 400 km which is as low as possible to optimise the use of both lidar and radar. It will fly in a polar orbit, crossing the equator in the early afternoon, to optimise daylight conditions.