EarthCARE on its way to launch site

It’s almost time for ESA’s next Earth Explorer satellite to be launched!

The container ready to leave Airbus’ facilities in Friedrichshafen, Germany, for its journey to Munich airport. (credits: Airbus)

Due to liftoff in May, EarthCARE is a remarkable satellite – designed to deliver a wealth of new information on exactly how clouds and aerosols affect Earth’s climate. Given the climate crisis, this information is needed now more than ever before.

The satellite is now on its way to the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California where it will be lofted into orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

EarthCARE shipment container in the sunshine. (credits: ESA)

This week, the satellite was transported from Airbus’s facilities in Friedrichshafen to Munich airport, where it was loaded onto an Antonov aircraft to continue its trip to the US.

Loading EarthCARE onto the aircraft at Munich airport. (credits: ESA)

Once it arrives at the launch site, EarthCARE will be put into storage for a few weeks, until it is time to prepare it for liftoff in May.

EarthCARE carries a suite of instruments to answer some critical scientific questions related to the role that clouds and aerosols play in reflecting incident solar radiation back out to space and trapping infrared radiation emitted from Earth’s surface.

Sticking the EarthCARE mission patch onto the aircraft. (credits: ESA)

Although clouds play an extremely important role in atmospheric heating and cooling, they remain one of the biggest mysteries – in fact the least understood factor – in our understanding of how the atmosphere drives the climate system. EarthCARE’s unique set of four instruments provides a holistic view of the interplay between clouds, aerosols and radiation.

Team members enjoying moment EarthCARE is loaded onto the aircraft for its flight to the US. (credits: ESA)

Follow ESA’s EarthCARE launch campaign team over the next few months as they prepare the satellite for its big day.

Read more about EarthCARE.