The EarthCARE climate monitoring satellite, constructed by Airbus, has been successfully launched from the Vandenberg military base in California. Officially named the Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer, this satellite is a collaborative effort between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Its mission is to study how clouds and atmospheric aerosols affect Earth’s climate, either by reflecting solar radiation back into space, cooling the atmosphere, or by trapping infrared radiation from the Earth’s surface, leading to warming.
EarthCARE is designed to create detailed vertical profiles of both natural and man-made aerosols, track the movement and composition of water droplets and ice within clouds, and enhance climate models and weather prediction accuracy by providing critical data on these interactions. The satellite’s development involved specialists from 15 European nations along with teams from Japan and Canada, coordinated by Airbus in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
EarthCARE is equipped with four main instruments: the ATLID atmospheric lidar, which profiles aerosols and thin clouds; a Broad-Band Radiometer developed by ESA; a Multi-Spectral Imager by Airbus’ Surrey Satellite Technology Limited; and a Cloud Profiling Radar by JAXA. This innovative suite of tools will, for the first time, enable direct measurement of the impact of clouds and aerosols on the Earth’s radiation balance, helping to refine current models of climate interaction.
Operating in a Sun-synchronous orbit 400 km above Earth, EarthCARE will cross the equator in the early afternoon to maximize daylight observation. The satellite, 18 meters long and weighing 2.3 tonnes, will begin its operational phase following the deployment of its solar panel and Cloud Profiling Radar, with a minimum expected service duration of three years.
