SpaceX launches NASA’s PACE satellite to monitor ocean, atmosphere, climate

PACE, Nasa’s newest Earth-observing satellite, will help scientists better understand how climate change is affecting blooms of ocean phytoplankton. Phytoplankton, also known as microalgae, is the foundation of the ocean’s food web. They are the primary producers of energy, feeding everything from tiny zooplankton to whales that weigh multiple tons. The smaller fish and ocean creatures that feed on phytoplankton are then eaten by bigger fish. PACE will also help understand the influence of particles in the air, like dust and smoke, on cloud formation as well as the warming and cooling of the planet.

We have liftoff 🚀

Our PACE spacecraft is on its way to study microscopic organisms in our ocean and particles in the air. pic.twitter.com/SvxY1EErdx

— NASA (@NASA) February 8, 2024

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The mission was initially supposed to launch on February 6, but it was delayed multiple times due to adverse weather conditions. Unlike the satellites that launch into a temporary orbit before moving into a permanent orbit, PACE was injected directed into its final orbit, a method that Nasa calls “an effectively instantaneous launch.”

Separation confirmed—PACE is now flying free from its @SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

We’ll be #KeepingPACE with the @NASAEarth spacecraft throughout its mission as it studies our ocean and clouds. pic.twitter.com/dhPgQSuPCM

— NASA (@NASA) February 8, 2024

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PACE was placed in a sun-synchronous orbit, which means that it will always be synced to the same position relative to the Sun. This also means that it will cross the planet’s equator at the same local time for each orbit. This will be useful because the angle at which the sun illuminates the planet will remain constant throughout each image it takes.