NASAs PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft in orbit over Earth. Credit: NASA GSFCThe PACE spacecraft, a collaborative effort in between NASA and SpaceX, was effectively connected to its payload adapter in Florida, marking a significant turning point ahead of its upcoming launch to study Earths oceans, environment, and climate.NASA and SpaceX professionals linked NASAs PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft to the payload adapter on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Now that PACE is securely connected to the payload adapter, teams will encapsulate the spacecraft inside the protective payload fairings ahead of combination with the Falcon 9 rocket. The PACE mission will increase our understanding of Earths oceans, environment, and climate by delivering hyperspectral observations of microscopic marine organisms called phytoplankton, in addition to new measurements of aerosols and clouds. Rate is set to launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 1:33 a.m. EST on Tuesday, February 6. The PACE project is managed by NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center. The agencys Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy Space Center, is accountable for handling the launch service for the PACE objective..
