NASA's PACE Satellite Mission To Study Oceans And Climate Change

This illustration provided by NASA depicts the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft at the asteroid Bennu. On Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, the spacecraft will fly by Earth and drop off what is expected to be at le

As a former scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the successful launch of the PACE satellite mission is a significant milestone in Earth sciences. The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite mission was launched on February 8th from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, injected into orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

The oceans are experiencing the impacts of climate change, including marine heatwaves, sea level rise, coral bleaching, and loss of biodiversity. PACE will allow researchers to study the effects of climate change on phytoplankton, crucial organisms in the global carbon cycle that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.