ESA’s EarthCARE satellite being encapsulated with in the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fairing, which protects the satellite during the first stages of launch.

ESA’s Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) carries a set of four instruments that work together to answer critical scientific questions related to the role that clouds and aerosols play in reflecting incident solar radiation back out to space and trapping infrared radiation emitted from Earth’s surface.

Although clouds and aerosols play an extremely important role in atmospheric heating and cooling, they remain a relative mystery – in fact, clouds are the least understood factor in our understanding of how the atmosphere drives the climate system.

EarthCARE is getting ready for lift-off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, with a target launch date of no earlier than 28 May 2024.