- NASA launched the “PREFIRE mission,” deploying twin CubeSats to monitor heat emissions in the Arctic and Antarctic areas, with the goal of improving climate studies.
About PREFIRE Mission
- NASA and the University of Wisconsin–Madison collaborated in its development.
- It strives to research and grasp the complex dynamics of heat emissions from Earth’s Polar Regions, with a particular emphasis on the Arctic and Antarctica.
Components:
- PREFIRE uses shoebox-sized CubeSats, measuring around 6U (6 units), with sophisticated instruments for data collecting.
- When the solar panels that will power the spacecraft are deployed, they measure around 90 cm in height and almost 120 cm in breadth.
- The two satellites will be put in a near-polar orbit (a form of low Earth orbit) at a height of around 525 kilometres.
- Thermal Infrared Spectrometers (TIRS): Each CubeSat is equipped with a Thermal Infrared Spectrometer, which was precisely designed to monitor far-infrared radiation released by the Polar Regions.
The mission objective
- To investigate the influence of heat radiation from Earth’s Polar Regions on climate.
- Use thermal infrared spectrometers to detect the far-infrared radiation released by the Earth’s surface and atmosphere.
- Improve knowledge of the greenhouse effect at the poles and its impact on climate change.
- Improve climate and ice models to forecast changes in sea level, weather, snow, and ice cover in a warming world.
Significance of PREFIRE
- PREFIRE’s data will improve projections of climatic and environmental changes, helping to mitigate the consequences of global warming.
- Data acquired will help us update climate models and improve our knowledge of Earth’s atmospheric processes.
Source: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-launches-small-climate-satellite-to-study-earths-poles/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CNASA's%20PREFIRE%20will%20give%20us,the%20consequences%20of%20climate%20change.%E2%80%9D