NASA reschedules launch of PACE mission due to weather

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) - The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) postponed the launch of its PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission scheduled for Tuesday due to poor weather conditions.

The new launch time is set for 1.33 a.m. EST (0633GMT) Wednesday from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The nearly $1 billion PACE satellite will be carried by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and orbit above the International Space Station (ISS), monitoring Earth's health extensively, from its oceans to its atmosphere.

It will collect vast amounts of data on aerosols and clouds, scanning Earth every two days to analyze their chemical composition, movement and interactions.

"We are studying the combined Earth system — it's not an ocean mission, it's not an atmosphere mission, it's not a land mission, it's an all-of-those-things mission," Jeremy Werdell, the mission's project scientist, said during a press briefing Sunday.

"What we're doing here with PACE is really the search for the microscopic, mostly invisible, universe in the sea, and in the sky, and, in some degrees, on land," he added.

NASA's PACE mission aims to explore Earth's environment by studying ocean health, atmospheric conditions and ecosystems.

It will monitor plankton, aerosols, clouds and oceanic conditions to comprehend their interactions and influence on the planet's climate and overall health.

Scientists anticipate that PACE data will provide crucial insights into the effects of aerosols on cloud formation and differentiate between various cloud types. Understanding these factors is vital for interpreting climate changes and air quality shifts.

In addition, data from PACE's polarimeters will enhance climate models by providing more accurate atmospheric information, replacing current estimates with direct measurements.

The new polarimetry data will also provide real-time insights into air pollution.

The PACE satellite and Falcon 9 rocket are reportedly healthy, and live launch coverage will commence on the NASA+ website and the NASA TV public channel on Wednesday.