The first of two climate-focused CubeSats, which are small shoebox-sized satellites, was
launched successfully on May 25 by NASA from Māhia, New Zealand, aboard Rocket Lab’s
Electron rocket. These CubeSats are part of the PREFIRE mission (Polar Radiant Energy in
the Far-InfraRed Experiment) and they have been constructed to explore heat emissions
from Earth’s poles thereby providing vital information about how this affects global weather.
The PREFIRE Mission
PREFIRE is a joint venture between NASA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison aimed
at filling a significant gap in our knowledge of Earth’s energy budget – the balance between
incoming solar radiation and outgoing energy escaping to space. This bubble is hugely
influenced by releasing large amounts of far-infrared radiation through cold extremes
occurring near the North and South Poles. However, using current technologies it has not
been possible to measure such type of radiation correctly until now.
What Are CubeSats?
CubeSats are a class of miniature satellites with each unit (1U) typically measuring 10 cm by
10 cm by 10 cm in size and having a weight limit of 1.33 kg. These were created as teaching
aids in1999 by California Polytechnic State University and Stanford University but have since
turned out to be valuable tools for scientific research and commercial uses due to their low
costs and small sizes. So, when the solar panels are deployed, the PREFIRE satellites
would be six units or “6U” which means that they would reach up-to about 90cm tall and be
around 120cm wide.
Measuring Far-Infrared Radiation
This radiation is necessary for comprehensive knowledge on how thermal energy is
distributed globally as well as how it leaves the atmosphere into space. Each PREFIRE
CubeSat has an infra red spectrometer known as Thermal Infrared Spectrometer (TIRS),
which measures far-infrared radiation from 3 to 1000 micrometers wavelength range. This
spectrometer consists of specially shaped mirrors and detectors that split and measure
infrared light thus giving detailed information about far-infrared radiation emanating from
poles.
The Impact of Climate Research
The PREFIRE satellites orbiting at an altitude of about 525 kilometers above the poles will
provide data on the actual amounts of far-infrared radiation emitted. Through these observations, this information will improve our knowledge on greenhouse effect in polar regions, which is fundamental for forecasting climate change effects like changes in ice and sea levels as well as global weather patterns variations.
“It will also help us learn more about Earth’s energy budget, specifically finding out how it
relates to our ice, seas, and weather as we confront global warming,” commented Laurie
Leshin who is the director of NASA’S Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Summary
Climate science has witnessed a major development through PREFIRE project. NASA and its partners use cutting edge CubeSat technology to fill critical gaps in knowledge regarding earth’s energy balance especially assessing polar inputs. Such a mission shows why constant technology innovation is necessary when addressing climate change problems globally.
