{"id":10100,"date":"2024-05-28T01:15:39","date_gmt":"2024-05-27T17:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-launches-esas-earthcare-on-a-falcon-9-launch-from-vandenberg-space-force-base\/"},"modified":"2024-05-28T01:15:39","modified_gmt":"2024-05-27T17:15:39","slug":"spacex-launches-esas-earthcare-on-a-falcon-9-launch-from-vandenberg-space-force-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-launches-esas-earthcare-on-a-falcon-9-launch-from-vandenberg-space-force-base\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX launches ESA\u2019s EarthCARE on a Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_66349\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-66349\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66349\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240528_EarthCARE_deployment.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240528_EarthCARE_deployment.jpg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240528_EarthCARE_deployment-300x163.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240528_EarthCARE_deployment-678x368.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240528_EarthCARE_deployment-768x416.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-66349\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The European Space Agency\u2019s EarthCARE satellites is deployed from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket following its launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base on May 28, 2024. Image: SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The European Space Agency launched its latest Earth observing satellite, designed to better understand the climate. The Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) has four instruments which will study clouds and aerosols around the Earth \u201cto improve the accuracy of climate models and support numerical weather prediction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>ESA\u2019s spacecraft launched onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Liftoff happened at 3:20 p.m. PDT (6:20 p.m. EDT, 2220 UTC).<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/516ClI1Ylu0\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, tail number B1081 in the SpaceX fleet, will launch for a seventh time. It previously launched Crew-7; SpaceX\u2019s 29th Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-29); NASA\u2019s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE); the Transporter-10 rideshare mission; and two Starlink flights (6-34 and 8-1).<\/p>\n<p>A little less than eight minutes after liftoff, B1081 returned to VSFB to touchdown at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4). This was the 19th landing at LZ-4 and the 314th booster landing to date.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_66336\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-66336\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-66336 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240527_EarthCARE_packed_up.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"584\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240527_EarthCARE_packed_up.jpg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240527_EarthCARE_packed_up-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240527_EarthCARE_packed_up-678x452.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240527_EarthCARE_packed_up-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-66336\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Airbus-built Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) spacecraft is boxed up in a cleanroom before it was shipped to California for launch. Image: Airbus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Originally, the spacecraft was set to launch on a Russian Soyuz rocket. ESA announced a launch agreement with Arianespace in Oct. 2019 and noted a launch period that opened in June 2022 from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana. However, following Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher announced in Oct. 2022 that EarthCARE would launch on Europe\u2019s Vega-C rocket.<\/p>\n<p>Plans shifted again when a static fire test on the path to Vega-C\u2019s return-to-flight campaign sidelined that rocket until likely late 2024. That caused ESA to once again change plans and the mission was then assigned to SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket.<\/p>\n<p>Europe\u2019s loss of the Soyuz and lack of its own launchers put multiple other spacecraft on similar paths to EarthCARE. SpaceX has previously been tapped to launch Euclid in 2023, two Galileo missions (the first of which launched in late April) and Hera, which will launch in Oct. 2024.<\/p>\n<h4>Clouds and aerosols<\/h4>\n<p>The goals of the EarthCARE spacecraft bear some resemblance to NASA\u2019s PACE spacecraft, which launched earlier this year using the same Falcon 9 booster. Both satellites are designed to increase the understanding around cloud formation and the role of the atmosphere in the overall climate.<\/p>\n<p>EarthCARE is also a joint effort between ESA and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), which provided one of the spacecraft\u2019s four main instruments. In keeping with JAXA tradition, the satellite has a Japanese nickname: Hakuryu (White Dragon in Japanese).<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1795584265410806137&amp;lang=en&amp;maxWidth=560px&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2024%2F05%2F27%2Flive-coverage-spacex-to-launch-esas-earthcare-on-a-falcon-9-launch-from-vandenberg-space-force-base%2F&amp;sessionId=fe16e2545e1634c206631c12d63b9a57bd61493b&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1795584265410806137\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782461507341893897=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Separation complete: #EarthCARE is alone in space for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>The satellite will now automatically deploy its solar array and begin transmitting telemetry.<\/p>\n<p>Next up: the all-important \u2018acquisition of signal\u2019 from Hartebeesthoek ground station in South Africa in approx.\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/2UQDDzn9RP<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 ESA Operations (@esaoperations) May 28, 2024<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The spacecraft weighs about 2,200 kg (4,850 lbs.) and has a total length of about 17.2 m (56.4 ft.). It will be deployed to a sun-synchronous Earth orbit at 393 km in altitude and a 97.05\u00b0 inclination. It\u2019s designed to fully cover the Earth every 25 days and has an anticipated mission lifespan of at least three years (including a six-month commissioning period).<\/p>\n<p>JAXA\u2019s contribution is the Cloud Profiling Radar instrument as well as data processing for the instrument while it\u2019s on orbit. The CPR is one of two active instruments on EarthCARE, along with the Atmospheric Lidar.<\/p>\n<p>The CPR is a Doppler-capable radar, featuring a 2.5 m (8.2 ft.) antenna, which is able to peer through light precipitation and clouds \u201cproviding detailed insights into their vertical structure and velocity, particle size distribution and water content,\u201d according to ESA.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_66334\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-66334\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66334\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240527_EarthCARE_clouds_and_climate.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"493\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240527_EarthCARE_clouds_and_climate.jpeg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240527_EarthCARE_clouds_and_climate-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240527_EarthCARE_clouds_and_climate-678x381.jpeg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240527_EarthCARE_clouds_and_climate-768x432.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-66334\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Clouds play a crucial role in Earth\u2019s climate system by reflecting sunlight back into space, known as the albedo effect, and by trapping heat radiating from Earth\u2019s surface, part of the greenhouse effect. Graphic: ESA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Atmospheric Lidar is a half-tonne instrument that uses about 500 watts to generate an ultraviolet wavelength laser beam. In concert with the CPR and EarthCARE\u2019s Multispectral Imager, it can \u201cderive cloud top height and aerosol physical properties, as well as classification of the various atmospheric components.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The two passive instruments on the spacecraft are the Multispectral Imager and the Broadband Radiometer. The MI is designed to gather images with a 500 m (1640.4 ft.) resolution over a 150 km (93.2 mi.) swath.<\/p>\n<p>The imager also features seven channels: visible, near-infrared, two shortwave infrared and three thermal-infrared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese images provide context to help interpret the measurements made by EarthCARE\u2019s two active instruments, the&nbsp;lidar&nbsp;and the&nbsp;radar, that collect information only from a thin curtain under the satellite, and to extend that information into 3D scenes,\u201d ESA said.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the Broadband Radiometer \u201cprovides accurate measurements of the reflected solar and emitted thermal radiation, co-located with the views from the cloud profiling radar and the atmospheric lidar.\u201d To do this, it uses three telescopes (forward-looking, backward-looking and nadir) \u201cto derive the top-of-the-atmosphere fluxes over a wide wavelength band.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_66335\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-66335\" style=\"width: 584px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66335\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240527_EarthCARE_encapsulation_small.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"584\" height=\"876\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240527_EarthCARE_encapsulation_small.jpg 584w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240527_EarthCARE_encapsulation_small-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-66335\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) encapsulated within Falcon 9 payload fairings prior to its launch on May 28, 2024. Image: SpaceX via ESA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The European Space Agency\u2019s EarthCARE satellites is deployed from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket following its launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base on May 28, 2024. Image: SpaceX The European Space Agency launched its latest Earth observing satellite, designed to better understand the climate. The Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) has four instruments [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1371,246,479,877,316],"class_list":["post-10100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-earthcare","tag-esa","tag-falcon-9","tag-jaxa","tag-spacex"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10100"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10100"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10100\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}