EarthCARE satellite launched to study clouds and climate

Airbus-built EarthCARE (Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer) is a joint undertaking between the European and Japanese Space Agencies (ESA and JAXA).

The satellite will examine the role clouds and aerosols (tiny atmospheric particles) play in reflecting solar radiation back into space, cooling down the atmosphere, as well as in trapping infrared radiation emitted from the Earth’s surface, heating up the atmosphere.

“EarthCARE is ESA’s largest and most complex Earth Explorer spacecraft – a flagship mission whose data will help improve the accuracy and reliability of climate and numerical weather prediction models,” Alain Fauré, head of Space Systems at Airbus, said in a statement.

“International cooperation was key with more than 200 research institutes and 45 companies across Europe working hand in hand to deliver this spacecraft.”

The satellite will create vertical profiles of natural and human-made aerosols, register the distribution of water droplets and ice crystals and how they are transported in clouds, and provide input to improve the modelling of the warming climate and weather forecasting.