SpaceX launched the Plankton, Aerosols, Clouds and Ocean Ecosystems (PACE) satellite on its $948 million mission before dawn on Thursday, with the Falcon rocket heading south over the Atlantic to achieve a rare polar orbit.
The satellite will spend at least three years studying the oceans from 420 miles (676 kilometres) as well as the atmosphere.
It will scan the globe daily with two of the science instruments. A third instrument will take monthly measurements.
"It's going to be an unprecedented view of our home planet," said project scientist Jeremy Werdell.
One thing's for shore, PACE has lifted off!— NASA's Kennedy Space Center (@NASAKennedy) The PACE spacecraft lifted off at 1:33am ET from Space Launch Complex 40 onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.PACE will answer questions about how our planet's oceans and atmosphere interact with each other in a changing climate. pic.twitter.com/kXhSdFJmBBFebruary 8, 2024
The observations will help scientists improve hurricane and other severe weather forecasts, detail earth's changes as temperatures rise and better predict when harmful algae blooms will happen.
NASA already has more than two dozen earth-observing satellites and instruments in orbit.
But PACE should give better insights into how atmospheric aerosols like pollutants and volcanic ash and sea life like algae and plankton interact with each other.
"PACE will give us another dimension" to what other satellites observe, said NASA's director of earth science Karen St Germain said.
Current earth-observing satellites can see in seven or eight colours, according to Werdell.
PACE will see in 200 colours that will allow scientists to identify the types of algae in the sea and types of particles in the air.
Scientists expect to start getting data in a month or two.
NASA is collaborating with India on another advanced earth-observing satellite due to launch this year.
Named Nisar, it will use radar to measure the effect of rising temperatures on glaciers and other melting icy surfaces.
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