JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Earth
.

NASA Announces Launch Service for Arctic Warming Experiment

Aug. 14, 2023

The PREFIRE mission will send two CubeSats – shown as an artist’s concept against an image of Earth from orbit – into space to study how much heat the planet absorbs and emits from its polar regions, including the Arctic and Antarctica.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Data from the mission will inform climate and ice models, providing better projections of how a warming world will affect sea ice loss, ice sheet melt, and sea level rise.

NASA has selected Rocket Lab USA Inc. of Long Beach, California, to provide the launch service for the agency’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission, which aims to give researchers a more accurate picture of the energy entering and leaving Earth.

The PREFIRE mission will help close a gap in our understanding of how much of Earth’s heat is lost to space, especially from the Arctic and Antarctica. Analysis of PREFIRE measurements will inform climate and ice models, providing better projections of how a warming world will affect sea ice loss, ice sheet melt, and sea level rise. Improving climate models can ultimately help to provide more accurate projections on the impacts of storm severity and frequency, as well as coastal erosion and flooding.

Get the Latest JPL News

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER

The mission consists of two 6U CubeSats with a baseline mission length of 10 months and is jointly developed by NASA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California manages the mission for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate and is providing the instruments. Blue Canyon Technologies is building the CubeSats, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison will process the data collected by the instruments. The science team includes members from JPL and the Universities of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Colorado.

NASA’s Launch Services Program, based out of the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, in partnership with NASA’s Earth System Science Pathfinder office, is announcing the launch service as part of the agency’s VADR (Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare) launch services contract.

News Media Contact

Joshua Finch

NASA Headquarters, Washington

202-358-1100

joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov

Leejay Lockhart

321-861-3739

leejay.lockhart@nasa.gov

2023-118

Related News

Earth .

NASA-Led Study Pinpoints Areas of New York City Sinking, Rising

Earth .

Water-Watching Satellite Monitors Warming Ocean off California Coast

Solar System .

Venus on Earth: NASA’s VERITAS Science Team Studies Volcanic Iceland

Climate Change .

NASA-Built Greenhouse Gas Detector Moves Closer to Launch

Earth .

NASA Scientists Test New Tool for Tracking Algal Blooms

Mars .

NASA, Partners Study Ancient Life in Australia to Inform Mars Search

Earth .

NASA Maps Key Heat Wave Differences in Southern California

Earth .

NASA Data Shows Fierce Surface Temperatures During Phoenix Heat Wave

Earth .

NASA Helps Spot Wine Grape Disease From Skies Above California

Earth .

Crews Head Down River, Out to Sea to Prep New SWOT Water Satellite

Explore More

Image .

Map of New York City Subsidence and Uplift

Image .

Hot Spots of Subsidence, Uplift in New York City

Image .

SWOT Monitors Warming Waters Off California Coast

Image .

Methane Signal From Carbon Mapper Instrument Test

Image .

Imaging Spectrometer Vacuum Chamber Test

Image .

Imaging Spectrometer Vibration Test

Image .

Imaging Spectrometer Inside Thermal Vacuum Chamber

Image .

Imaging Spectrometer Fully Integrated

Image .

Channeled Scablands, Washington

Image .

SWOT Captures the Yukon River in Alaska

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
JPL Plan: 2023-2026
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono
CL#: 21-0018