NASA’s PREFIRE mission, involving two CubeSats launched from New Zealand, aims to improve understanding of far-infrared emissions from Earth’s polar regions, which is crucial for climate modeling. Launched on May 25 and June 5, 2023, the satellites will analyze how clouds and water vapor affect heat radiation into space, helping to refine climate predictions regarding global warming and its impacts on ice, oceans, and weather systems.
PREFIRE’s goal is to measure the polar heat emissions, primarily in the form of far-infrared radiation, which can significantly influence global temperatures. Clouds in the Arctic and Antarctic can trap this radiation, exacerbating the greenhouse effect. The mission seeks to systematically assess when and where these emissions occur and how they are influenced by atmospheric conditions.
The CubeSats feature advanced thermal infrared spectrometers capable of detecting otherwise invisible clouds and distinguishing between water droplets and ice particles. This technology could provide new insights into cloud behavior, which is notoriously difficult to study yet critical for accurate climate modeling. Collaboratively managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the PREFIRE mission represents innovative strides in climate science and satellite technology.
