ESA’s EarthCARE Is Now In California, Ready For Launch

ESA’s EarthCARE satellite has embarked on the final leg of its journey towards launch. After traversing from Germany to the United States, and a meticulous month-long hiatus in storage, the satellite has been removed from its protective container at Vandenberg Space Force Base, in California.

Scheduled for liftoff aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in May 2024, EarthCARE stands as a beacon of hope amidst the escalating climate crisis.

Armed with a suite of four cutting-edge instruments, the Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer – that’s what EarthCARE stands for – aims to decode the intricate dance between clouds, aerosols, and the radiant energy fluxes shaping our planet’s climate.

Delivered, unpacked, recharged

During its transit, EarthCARE remained enclosed within a specially designed container, its “vital signs” meticulously monitored to ensure pristine condition. Additionally, nitrogen purging safeguarded its delicate instrumentation.

The process of extracting the satellite from the container is a delicate one. “[…] all went really well, but we were anxious to actually lay eyes on the satellite again,” said Bill Simpson, ESA’s EarthCARE Launch Campaign Manager. “This hoisting manoeuvre is a very careful one – our satellite is over 2000 kg of very sensitive equipment,”

“I’m extremely happy to report that EarthCARE looks fit and well, but we obviously have to run a series of tests to make absolutely sure that it survived the journey ok.” With the spacecraft’s welfare confirmed, rigorous testing protocols now commence to validate its readiness for the upcoming mission.

The launch campaign started with its batteries being charged-up. Meanwhile, at ESA’s Operations Centre in Germany, where Mission Control is hosted, the Team was running a series of all-important simulations.

These simulations rehearse critical launch and post-launch procedures, ensuring seamless execution during liftoff and the “early orbit” phase.

Dirk Bernaerts, ESA’s EarthCARE Project Manager stated: “This really does mark the start of the launch campaign – an important milestone that signals the start of an intense period that will last at least six weeks leading to liftoff.”

“The team has a lot of work to do, the satellite is not only big, but extremely complex so everything has to be carefully checked and prepared before it is encapsulated within its Falcon 9 rocket fairing prior to launch towards the end of May.”

A collaboration to discover the climate change

EarthCARE’s mission transcends mere scientific inquiry; it holds the promise of revolutionizing our understanding of cloud dynamics and their pivotal role in modulating Earth’s energy budget.

With clouds exerting a profound influence on global climate patterns, this mission’s deployment assumes heightened significance amid the specter of climate change.

Notably, central is its array of four instruments, each offering a unique vantage point into Earth’s atmospheric mysteries. From the cloud profiling radar unraveling vertical cloud structures to the atmospheric lidar delineating cloud-top dynamics, EarthCARE’s multifaceted approach promises unparalleled insights into Earth’s radiation balance.

Born from ESA’s Earth Observation FutureEO programme, this mission stands also as a testament to international collaboration, with contributions from both ESA and JAXA, which provides the cloud profiling radar instrument. Notably, the satellite was designed and built by a consortium of more than 75 companies under Airbus as the prime contractor.

As the largest and most intricate satellite in the Earth Explorer fleet, EarthCARE embodies the culmination of decades of scientific innovation and technological prowess by the European Space Agency.