EARTHCAREThe project is entering Phase-C/D and activities are proceeding to plan, with organisation of the System CDR for later in 2012. The satellite configuration and system budgets remain stable with adequate margins. Avionics equipment EMs are being tested, and the setup of the spacecraft EFM is under way.The CDR for the Broad Band Radiometer instrument was held. The ATLID EQM laser pump unit Manufacturing Readiness Review was held and the operation point of the laser head has been confirmed. Testing of the Engineering Confidence Model of the Multi-Spectra Imager VNS camera started, while the TIR camera assembly is nearing completion.The Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) SM has been delivered and handed over to ESA. It is now available for fit checks to the spacecraft and the mechanical ground support equipment. The CPR EM is being assembled in Japan. The Overall Configuration and Interface Design Review of the ground segment has been completed in preparation for its CDR later this year.
Unravelling the mysteries of clouds13 June 2022The role of aerosols and clouds - the great unknown of climateClouds and aerosols are still considered the great unknowns in understanding our climate. With the EarthCARE Earth observation satellite, Airbus has made the finishing touches to the crucial ‘key’ that will unlock the mysteries of clouds, helping make more accurate atmospheric models and climate forecasts.The 2.3-tonne satellite is now being transported from the Airbus site in Friedrichshafen, Germany, to the European Space Agency's ESTEC technology centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. There it will be put through its paces until the middle of next year. Among other things, it will be subjected to the stresses and strains that occur during launch and the environmental conditions that await it in orbit. In other words, its space readiness will be extensively tested.The scienceClouds play an important role in our climate because they regulate the amount of solar energy that reaches the Earth’s surface and the amount of energy that is reflected back into space. The more energy absorbed by the Earth, the warmer it gets. If less energy is absorbed, it becomes cooler.However, the exact role that clouds and aerosols play in the climate system is still a big unknown in climate forecasts and in understanding the Earth's water cycle.Clouds need aerosols to form. These micrometre-sized particles - smaller than a human hair - float in the air. Many are natural, like sea salt carried away by the oceans or dust particles from the Sahara. There are also human-produced aerosols. For example, combustion produces soot and sulphur dioxide, which comes mainly from power stations. Nitrogen oxides from car exhausts are another cause. The more aerosols in the air, the more clouds reflect because they are made up of more but smaller water droplets. When there are fewer aerosols, there are also fewer water droplets, which become larger and can then fall more easily as raindrops.Larger clouds generally reflect more light and have a greater cooling effect. When clouds contain more water droplets, they become whiter and reflect more sunlight, which cools the Earth's surface.Cloud height also matters. Higher clouds tend to be colder, so they give off less heat and keep it trapped in our atmosphere instead of radiating it out into space. Low clouds are warmer, emitting more heat. So this means that higher clouds tend to warm the Earth's surface and atmosphere. In addition, aerosols influence the life cycle of clouds and thus indirectly contribute to warming of the Earth, i.e. its radiation and energy budget. Measurement data on aerosols should now help to better understand these processes.The satellite and its missionEarthCARE will provide global profiles of clouds and aerosols together with measurements of solar radiation reflected from the planet and thermal radiation emitted by the Earth. To this end, the satellite carries two large instruments: a lidar called ATLID to measure the vertical profiles of aerosols and thin clouds, and a cloud profiling radar (CPR) to measure the vertical profiles of thick clouds and precipitation. The CPR is provided by the Japanese Space Agency JAXA.ATLID, built by Airbus in Toulouse, France, operates in the ultraviolet spectrum at a wavelength of 355 nm and uses the Doppler effect to provide vertical profiles from around 100 metres above the ground to a maximum height of 20 kilometres, or from 500 metres to a maximum height of 20 to 40 kilometres. The measuring principle makes use of the fact that an emitted light signal is scattered differently by molecules or aerosol particles as it passes through the atmosphere. ATLID is the second European lidar in orbit - Airbus is already globally renowned as a specialist in space-based lidar systems through the Aeolus satellite (in space since August 2018).Two other instruments, a cloud imager (MSI) and a broadband radiometer (BBR), which measures the reflected solar radiation as well as the emitted thermal radiation of the clouds, complete the sensor equipment on the satellite. By using all four instruments simultaneously, 3D cloud and aerosol scenes can be directly correlated with reflected solar radiation and emitted thermal radiation.EarthCARE will orbit the Earth at an altitude of about 400 kilometres. The orbit is as low as possible to optimise the use of lidar and radar, but not too low, otherwise aerodynamic drag would affect fuel consumption and mission lifetime.Because global coverage is required, EarthCARE flies in an almost polar orbit. It crosses the equator in the early afternoon, which ensures optimal illumination and minimal solar radiation for the passive instruments. At 1,600 watts, the system's power requirements are considerable and are mainly determined by the two active instruments, ATLID and CPR.Visually, the satellite is dominated by the large CPR antenna, which has a diameter of 2.5 metres. The long rear solar array gives the satellite an overall length of 18 metres. The solar array consists of five sections with an area of 21 square metres. The tail-like arrangement helps minimise drag given the satellite's low orbital altitude.
... Airbus successfully completed the Electro-Magnetic Compatibility tests in April 2023 and now this latest ESA “Earth Explorer” satellite is getting closer to launch next year.
ESA and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency are gearing up for a momentous milestone in Earth observation as launch of the EarthCARE satellite approaches.Following years of rigorous development and extensive testing, the satellite is now undergoing its final round of tests in Europe before being shipped to the launch site early next year – bringing us one step closer to gaining unprecedented insights into the role that clouds and aerosols play in the climate system.
The satellite is scheduled to be packed up and shipped to the Vandenberg launch site in California in early March, where it will be prepared for liftoff on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in May.
The Airbus-built EarthCARE (Earth Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer) spacecraft has left Munich, Germany, and is now on its way aboard an aircraft to its launch site in Vandenberg, California. EarthCARE is planned to be launched in May on a Falcon 9 rocket.
After a smooth journey from Germany, ESA’s EarthCARE satellite has arrived at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Here, it is being stored over the next few weeks before it’s time get the satellite ready for liftoff in May.