EarthCARE - Earth Online

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Introducing EarthCARE’s Data, Innovation and Science Cluster

ESA’s EarthCARE mission has launched, and its four instruments have been successfully fired up, working in synergy to monitor clouds and aerosols and their role in regulating the climate.

EarthCARE’s on the move—what now?

The much-awaited EarthCARE satellite successfully embarked on its journey into space on 29 May 2024, at 00:20 CEST, aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA—anticipation of the new data is causing excitement in the remote sensing community.

Featuring the power of Earth observation data at EGU

The European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2024 brings together geoscientists from all over the world, aiming to provide a forum where scientists and early career researchers can present their work and discuss their ideas with experts, in all fields of geoscience.

EarthCARE pre-launch science workshop a success

Held between 13 and 17 November 2023, in ESA’s Earth Observation facility in Frascati, Italy, the ESA-JAXA pre-launch EarthCARE science and validation workshop brought together nearly 250 participants, representing a vibrant worldwide scientific community that is eagerly awaiting the mission’s launch.

3D Earth Online Visuals application takes off

A new app has just been launched, enabling you to explore ESA’s satellite missions in 3D and providing a new perspective on how satellite data contribute to our understanding of Earth systems, the climate, and their interactions.

About EarthCARE

ESA's EarthCARE (Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer) mission launched on 28 May 2024 is the largest and most complex Earth Explorer to date, and will advance our understanding of the role that clouds and aerosols play in reflecting incident solar radiation back into space and trapping infrared radiation emitted from Earth's surface.

EarthCARE is a joint venture between ESA and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).

EarthCARE Objectives

EarthCARE

EarthCARE employs high-performance lidar and radar technology that has never been flown in space before, with the objective to deliver unprecedented datasets to allow scientists to study the relationship of clouds, aerosols and radiation at accuracy levels that will significantly improve our understanding of these highly variable parameters.

EarthCARE Instruments

The Atmospheric Lidar (ATLID) provides vertical profiles of aerosols and thin clouds. It operates at a wavelength of 355 nm and has a high-spectral resolution receiver and depolarisation channel.

The Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) provides vertical profiles measurements of clouds and observes vertical velocities of cloud particles through Doppler measurements. It operates at 94GHz.

The Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI) hosted by EarthCARE provides across-track information on clouds and aerosols with channels in the visible, near infrared, shortwave and thermal infrared.

The Broad-Band Radiometer (BBR) provides measurements of top-of-the-atmosphere radiances and fluxes. It has one short-wave and one long-wave channel with three fixed viewing directions pointing in nadir and aft-directions.

EarthCARE INSTRUMENTS

EarthCARE DATA

EarthCARE TOOLS