“Mission of discovery”: NASA launches satellite to study the state of the world’s oceans and air quality

NASA has launched a satellite to study the state of the world’s oceans, air quality and the effects of climate change. This is stated in the agency’s report.

This is the PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem) mission, in which the device was launched into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The launch vehicle was launched from Cape Canaveral Spaceport in Florida on February 8. According to SpaceX, the cost of the PACE mission is estimated at $1 billion.

“Congratulations to the PACE team on a successful launch. With this new addition to NASA’s fleet of Earth-observing satellites, PACE will help us learn, like never before, how particles in our atmosphere and our oceans can identify key factors impacting global warming,” NASA said.

While studying the state of the world’s oceans, PACE will track the dynamics of the ocean phytoplankton population. According to NASA, this can be useful for fisheries, and will also allow us to track harmful algal blooms and detect changes in the marine environment.

Observations are also envisaged that will, among other things, allow for the assessment of air quality at the local, regional, and global levels. In this context, special attention will be paid to the study of aerosol particles in the atmosphere.

“The opportunities PACE will offer are so exciting, and we’re going to be able to use these incredible technologies in ways we haven’t yet anticipated,” said Jeremy Werdell, a PACE project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

According to him, “it’s truly a mission of discovery.”