The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced the successful launch of the large-scale scientific project PACE to study ocean conditions, air quality and climate change. According to the official statement, the PACE satellite was placed into orbit with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Web site NASA.
PACE will monitor phytoplankton in the ocean and microscopic particles in the air using a hyperspectral camera. It will allow you to observe the ocean and other bodies of water in the ultraviolet, visible and infrared spectra. In this way, scientists will be able to monitor phytoplankton concentration in real time from space for the first time.
The space probe is also equipped with two polarimeters to measure how sunlight interacts with atmospheric aerosols.
“The world’s oceans are responding to climate change in different ways, from rising sea levels to marine heatwaves and biodiversity loss. With PACE, researchers will be able to study the effects of climate change on phytoplankton, which play a key role in the global carbon cycle by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and converting it into their cellular material. This small organisms control larger aquatic and global ecosystems that provide critical resources for food security and the economy.” said NASA.
NASA authorized development of the PACE mission nine years ago, but the climate research satellite was disliked by the US presidential administration, whose mission was then held by Donald Trump.
In each of Trump’s four years in the White House, the administration’s annual budget request called for zero funding for PACE as well as other Earth science missions and NASA’s education division. However, the scientific community persuaded the US Congress to support this initiative.
previously china appeared A group of 11 satellites were placed into orbit.