NASA’s ambitious polar climate research initiative has reached another milestone with the successful launch of its second PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) CubeSat. On Wednesday, at 3:15 p.m. NZST (11:15 p.m. EDT, June 4), the satellite began its communication with the control teams on the ground. These compact, shoebox-size CubeSats are part of a project designed to enhance our understanding of how a warming planet affects Earth’s ice, oceans, and atmospheric patterns, furnishing critical data to aid humanity’s response to our evolving environment.
Departing from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand, atop the Electron rocket, this second CubeSat follows the first PREFIRE satellite sent into orbit on May 25. Upon completion of a 30-day operational verification phase, both CubeSats are set to engage in a 10-month mission to collect valuable climate data.
Amanda Whitehurst, PREFIRE program executive based at NASA Headquarters in Washington, explained, “The PREFIRE mission will provide important insights into the contribution of Earth’s polar areas to the planet’s energy balance. The resulting improvements in climate and ice models stand to offer significant benefits for everyone, enhancing our projections of climate and weather trends in the years ahead.”
PREFIRE’s objective is to monitor the delicate equilibrium between heat received from the Sun and the heat Earth’s poles emit back into space. The poles act as a planet’s cooling system, releasing heat absorbed from the Equator as far-infrared radiation. This radiation release is regulated by atmospheric water vapor levels and cloud features.
The dual CubeSats of the PREFIRE mission will track far-infrared energy emissions from the Arctic and Antarctic, creating a dynamic snapshot of how various factors like clouds, moisture, and ice melting interact with far-infrared energy emissions over time. Operating in asynchronous polar orbits, the satellites will cover identical areas at differing times, enhancing our picture of the polar regions’ changing conditions.
“The reality of climate change requires us to understand the transformations occurring in our environment and atmosphere,” remarked Brian Drouin, deputy principal investigator for PREFIRE at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “This mission will provide us with novel data on far-infrared wavelengths emanating from the poles, which we can use to refine our models and assist in preparing for the effects of climate change.”
Each CubeSat is equipped with a miniaturized thermal infrared spectrometer, which has been carefully designed with compact mirrors and sensors to effectively measure infrared wavelengths.
Laurie Leshin, director at NASA JPL, stated, “With state-of-the-art infrared sensors surpassing the sensitivity of all previous instruments, the PREFIRE satellites promise to revolutionize our understanding of the Earth’s poles. This knowledge will lead to better predictions regarding phenomena like sea level changes, weather shifts, and variations in ice and snow, helping us navigate a warming world.”
NASA’s Earth System Science Pathfinder Program and Launch Services Program, operated out of Kennedy Space Center in Florida, are facilitating the satellite launch under the VADR (Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare) contract.
The PREFIRE mission is the outcome of collaborative efforts between NASA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Together with NASA JPL, which supplied the spectrometers and is managing the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Blue Canyon Technologies constructed the CubeSats. The University of Wisconsin-Madison will be handling the data processing. Rocket Lab USA Inc., stationed in Long Beach, California, provided the launch services.
Information about PREFIRE can be found here:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/prefire/
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Karen Fox / Elizabeth Vlock
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / elizabeth.a.vlock@nasa.gov
Jane J. Lee / Andrew Wang
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-0307 / 626-379-6874
jane.j.lee@jpl.nasa.gov / andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov
FAQs about NASA’s PREFIRE Mission
What is the PREFIRE mission?
The Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment (PREFIRE) is a NASA mission involving two small satellites called CubeSats designed to study the Earth’s poles and their role in regulating climate by measuring far-infrared radiation.
Why are NASA’s PREFIRE CubeSats focusing on the poles?
Earth’s polar regions play a key role in regulating the planet’s energy budget by releasing heat absorbed at the Equator. Studying these processes can give insights into how Earth’s climate system responds to global warming.
How long will the PREFIRE CubeSats operate?
After a 30-day checkout period, the PREFIRE CubeSats are expected to be operational for a 10-month data-gathering mission.
What makes the PREFIRE CubeSats’ instruments unique?
The CubeSats carry compact but advanced thermal infrared spectrometers, which are more sensitive than any similar instrument before, enabling improved measurement of infrared wavelengths from the poles.
How will PREFIRE data help people?
The data from PREFIRE will help improve climate and weather models, leading to more accurate predictions about sea level rise, weather patterns, and changes in snow and ice cover, which are crucial for planning and responding to climate change impacts.