EarthCARE
Encyclopedia
EARTHCARE is a planned space mission by the European and Japanese space agencies. In May 2008 ESA signed a contract worth €263 million (£220 million/$360 million) with EADS
subsidiary Astrium. As the prime contractor, Astrium is responsible for the satellite’s design, development and integration. Design and construction began in early 2009 while launch is due for 2016.
EARTHCARE is an acronym standing for EARTH Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer, and the aims of the mission are to improve understanding of the cloud
, radiative
and aerosol
processes that affect the Earth's climate. As of January 2011, the total budget for the project is £500 million (€590 million/$810 million). A significant proportion of the project will be manufactured in the UK, the main structure of the spacecraft will be built by RUAG Space in Switzerland and subsequently completed in Astrium's Stevenage
facility, while one of the instruments will be made in Sevenoaks
by SSTL
and another in Bristol, Somerset
by SEA Group Ltd.
The project is part of ESA's Living Planet Programme
.
The satellite will make measurements useful for better understanding the Earth's thermal and solar radiation balance. In particular. a combination of active (lidar and radar) and passive (radiometers and imagers) instruments will enable EarthCARE to simultaneously measure the vertical and horizontal distribution of clouds and atmospheric aerosol
s along with Top-Of-Atmosphere (TOA) Long- and Short-wave fluxes.
The spacecraft will feature four distinct instruments:
The satellite is to fly in a 400 km high polar orbit at an inclination of 97 degrees. It will weigh 1700 kg.
EADS
The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company N.V. is a global pan-European aerospace and defence corporation and a leading defence and military contractor worldwide...
subsidiary Astrium. As the prime contractor, Astrium is responsible for the satellite’s design, development and integration. Design and construction began in early 2009 while launch is due for 2016.
EARTHCARE is an acronym standing for EARTH Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer, and the aims of the mission are to improve understanding of the cloud
Cloud
A cloud is a visible mass of liquid droplets or frozen crystals made of water and/or various chemicals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of a planetary body. They are also known as aerosols. Clouds in Earth's atmosphere are studied in the cloud physics branch of meteorology...
, radiative
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
and aerosol
Aerosol
Technically, an aerosol is a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas. Examples are clouds, and air pollution such as smog and smoke. In general conversation, aerosol usually refers to an aerosol spray can or the output of such a can...
processes that affect the Earth's climate. As of January 2011, the total budget for the project is £500 million (€590 million/$810 million). A significant proportion of the project will be manufactured in the UK, the main structure of the spacecraft will be built by RUAG Space in Switzerland and subsequently completed in Astrium's Stevenage
Stevenage
Stevenage is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England. It is situated to the east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1, and is between Letchworth Garden City to the north, and Welwyn Garden City to the south....
facility, while one of the instruments will be made in Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...
by SSTL
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, or SSTL, is a spin-off company of the University of Surrey, now fully owned by EADS Astrium, that builds and operates small satellites. Its satellites began as amateur radio satellites known by the UoSAT name or by an OSCAR designation...
and another in Bristol, Somerset
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
by SEA Group Ltd.
The project is part of ESA's Living Planet Programme
Living Planet Programme
The Living Planet Programme is a programme within the European Space Agency which is managed by the Earth Observation Programmes Directorate...
.
The satellite will make measurements useful for better understanding the Earth's thermal and solar radiation balance. In particular. a combination of active (lidar and radar) and passive (radiometers and imagers) instruments will enable EarthCARE to simultaneously measure the vertical and horizontal distribution of clouds and atmospheric aerosol
Aerosol
Technically, an aerosol is a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas. Examples are clouds, and air pollution such as smog and smoke. In general conversation, aerosol usually refers to an aerosol spray can or the output of such a can...
s along with Top-Of-Atmosphere (TOA) Long- and Short-wave fluxes.
The spacecraft will feature four distinct instruments:
- Backscatter Lidar (ATLID) - ESA High-spectral resolution and depolarisation
- Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) - JAXA/NICT -36 dBZ sensitivity, 500 m vertical range, Doppler
- Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI) - ESA 7 channels, 150 km swath, 500 m pixel
- Broadband Radiometer (BBR) - ESA 2 channels, 3 views (nadir, fore and aft). A broadband RadiometerRadiometerA radiometer is a device for measuring the radiant flux of electromagnetic radiation. Generally, the term radiometer denotes an infrared radiation detector, yet it also includes detectors operating on any electromagnetic wavelength....
.
The satellite is to fly in a 400 km high polar orbit at an inclination of 97 degrees. It will weigh 1700 kg.