Technicians keep track of motion as a crane hoists NASAs Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) observatory spacecraft after being uncrated on November 15, 2023, at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the firms Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Speed will be encapsulated for launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
RATE, which means Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, and ocean Ecosystem, is targeted to release aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in early 2024, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The mission will help clarify how the ocean and environment exchange carbon dioxide, improve upon NASAs 20-plus years of global satellite observations of ocean biology and climatic aerosols, and continue essential measurements connected to air quality and climate.
The PACE project is handled by NASAs Goddard Space Flight. The agencys Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy Space Center, is accountable for managing launch service for the PACE objective.
NASAs PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft in orbit over Earth. The PACE observatory will assist us better understand how the ocean and atmosphere exchange carbon dioxide, procedure key climatic variables connected with air quality and Earths environment, and monitor ocean health, in part by studying phytoplankton, tiny plants, and algae that sustain the marine food web. Credit: NASA GSFC
NASAs PACE spacecraft got here in Florida for its 2024 launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, the mission will study ocean-atmosphere interactions and continue vital climate and air quality measurements.
NASAs PACE spacecraft completed its journey on November 14, from NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, to the Astrotech Spacecraft Operations facility near the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Engineers and professionals arrived ahead of the spacecraft to prepare ground equipment for processing and offloading before fueling and final encapsulation.