Falcon 9 Launches EarthCARE: A New Era in Cloud Prediction

ESA’s EarthCARE (Earth Clouds, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer) mission successfully lifted off on May 28, 2024, at 23:20 UTC. The single flight unit is now in a Sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 394 km. The mission aims to improve our understanding of the interactions between clouds, aerosols, and solar radiation.

Liftoff of @ESA_EO’s EarthCARE! pic.twitter.com/8vHR3Iy1AA

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 28, 2024

The satellite was launched on board a SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from pad SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The booster used for this flight, B1081, previously completed six missions, including Crew 7 and NASA’s PACE.

Profile of the mission

The EarthCARE mission began with its first pre-feasibility study in 2000. In 2004 ESA and JAXA signed a cooperation agreement, and four years later, on May 27th, 2008, the European Space Agency and Astrium GmbH signed a €263 million contract for the full development of the project. 

The satellite has been designed within an innovative scientific framework, reflecting the growing interest in improving weather forecasting models. The mission aims to enhance the accuracy of cloud-aerosol-radiation interactions, which represent a significant source of uncertainty in current climate prediction. Furthermore, the objective is to develop reliable models to describe the vertical structure of clouds and aerosol layers.

EarthCARE technologies

EarthCARE employs cutting-edge technology based on four instruments attached to the satellite: the Atmospheric Lidar, the Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR), the Multi-Spectral Imager, and the Broad-Band Radiometer. Collectively, these instruments will provide in-depth analyses of clouds, including the vertical profile and the ascent-descent velocities of cloud particles. This novel approach to data collection and combined instrument suite have never been flown together in space before, offering unprecedented observational capabilities.

The intrinsic mechanisms of radiation balance involving aerosols and clouds still need to be fully understood. For example, the CCN (Cloud condensation nuclei), released by both natural sources and human activities, are a subset of aerosols that directly influence cloud properties by affecting their ability to reflect and absorb solar radiation.

The presence of these nuclei can result in an imbalanced cloud structure, which in turn affects radiation and climate. The lack of accurate models to describe the precise quantity of these particles can lead to significant misunderstandings regarding climate change.

NASA’s concern and ESA’s plan

As reported in the New York Times, NASA’s Terra, Aqua, and Aura missions are nearing the end of their operational life. Continuous monitoring of ice sheets, ozone levels, and both natural and human-made aerosols is crucial for understanding and protecting our planet and atmosphere. This has raised concerns among many researchers, who have expressed future difficulties and alarm about the situation. 

During the pre-launch press briefing from ESA, Simonetta Cheli acknowledged the concerns mentioned in the New York Times article.

“Today, the European Earth observation program, collectively with the Met Mission, Copernicus, and Explorer, is the biggest in terms of infrastructure and plans for the upcoming years.”

— Simonetta Cheli, Director of Earth Observation Programmes at ESA

Europe is committed to maintaining robust monitoring capabilities and advancing its science strategy to address emerging climate and environmental issues.

Cheli added: “We have 22 draft challenges on the table, which should be more horizontal and connected to policy. Europe is strong today and should remain strong for the future.”