Rocket Lab's Electron rocket successfully launched from Mahia, New Zealand on June 5, 2024, carrying the second PREFIRE satellite. The launch, named 'PREFIRE and Ice', took place just eleven days after the first launch for NASA's PREFIRE mission. The PREFIRE mission is a collaboration between NASA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, aiming to study Earth's heat loss to space from the polar regions. The CubeSats deployed for the PREFIRE mission are equipped with thermal infrared spectrometers to analyze light and gather valuable data for climate and ice models. Blue Canyon Technologies built the CubeSats, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison will process the collected data. Rocket Lab has now delivered 185 satellites to space across all its launches, with this mission being their 49th Electron launch overall and seventh mission of 2024. The company remains a trusted launch partner for NASA's small satellite missions.
Rocket Lab, a space technology company, completed two launches within two weeks for NASA's PREFIRE mission to measure heat emanating from Antarctica and the Arctic. The data collected will help inform models projecting the melting of polar ice sheets and resulting sea-level rise. Rocket Lab's Electron launch vehicle is reusable, limiting waste and making space-based research more affordable. CEO Peter Beck discusses Rocket Lab's goal to democratize space and support climate science. Space technology, including satellites, has been crucial for climate modeling and understanding. While space travel emits greenhouse gases, the impact is relatively small compared to the scientific benefits. Rocket Lab aims to limit space junk and supports the idea of cohesive space traffic management. Competition in the commercial space industry has made missions more accessible and affordable. Rocket Lab's ultimate goal is to become an end-to-end space company, making space more accessible and climate change missions more feasible. [49301beb] [c58db772]
NASA has successfully launched the second PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) satellite, marking a critical phase in NASA's mission to monitor the Earth's poles and their role in the global climate system. The CubeSat was deployed via Rocket Lab's Electron rocket from New Zealand and joins its counterpart launched on May 25. The PREFIRE satellites aim to refine predictions of future climate conditions by studying the intricate energy exchanges occurring at the Earth's poles. The satellites operate in asynchronous, near-polar orbits, allowing them to gather data on dynamic phenomena like cloud formation and ice sheet melting. The PREFIRE mission is a collaborative effort between NASA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with contributions from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Blue Canyon Technologies. The data collected will be processed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison for future climate assessments. [5a2fb499]
In a separate development, RTX's Blue Canyon Technologies has been selected by NASA to build two 12U CubeSat buses for the Polarized Submillimeter Ice-cloud Radiometer (PolSIR) mission. The PolSIR mission aims to study clouds forming at high altitudes or above tropical and sub-tropical regions. Blue Canyon Technologies will design and manufacture the bus platforms for the mission and provide mission operations services. The PolSIR instrument will observe the full diurnal cycle of high-altitude ice clouds to improve climate forecasts. The spacecraft will be equipped with radiometers and will observe the clouds' daily cycle of ice content through two separate wavelengths in two spectral bands. This collaboration between NASA and Blue Canyon Technologies further highlights the importance of CubeSats in advancing climate research and understanding. [ffbb4699]