Signal Acquired: NASA’s PACE Spacecraft Begins Its Science Mission

NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft has successfully made contact with ground stations back on Earth providing teams with early readings of its overall status, health, operation, and capabilities postlaunch.  

A full postlaunch assessment review to determine PACE’s readiness to move into the operational phase of its mission will be conducted in the coming weeks.  

Information collected throughout PACE’s mission will benefit society in the areas of ocean health, harmful algal bloom monitoring, ecological forecasting, and air quality. PACE also will contribute new global measurements of ocean color, cloud properties, and aerosols, which will be essential to understanding the global carbon cycle and ocean ecosystem responses to a changing climate.  

The PACE’s mission is designed to last at least three years, though the spacecraft is loaded with enough propellant to expand that timeline more than three times as long. 

To read more about the launch of the PACE mission, please visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-launches-new-climate-mission-to-study-ocean-atmosphere/

NASA’s PACE Spacecraft Separation

Photo credit: NASA Television

NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft has separated from the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage, beginning its science mission from sun-synchronous orbit about 420 miles above the Earth’s surface. 

The Falcon 9 Sticks Its Landing

Photo credit: NASA Television

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage has successfully landed at Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Tonight’s mission marks the fourth completed flight for this Falcon 9.  

Coming Up: Falcon 9 Max Q, Main Engine Cutoff, and Stage Separation

Photo credit: NASA Television

A series of rapid events occurs after launch. After Max Q – the moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket – the nine Merlin engines of the Falcon 9’s first stage will finish their burn and cut off during a phase called MECO or Main Engine Cutoff. 

Quickly after MECO, the stage separation sequence occurs. The second stage carrying NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft will continue on its journey to sun-synchronous orbit.  

Coming up next, the Falcon 9’s second stage engine ignites, and the protective payload fairings will be jettisoned to reveal NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft to the vacuum of space for the first time.   

Meanwhile, the first stage of the rocket begins its recovery journey for a vertical landing at SpaceX Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Landing should occur about eight and a half minutes after liftoff. 

Stay right here on the blog for more live mission coverage.  

Liftoff! NASA’s Earth Science Mission Launches Into Space Coast Sky

Photo credit: NASA Television

3, 2, 1 … LIFTOFF! A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 1:33 a.m. EST Thursday, Feb. 8 

The next milestone is Max Q or maximum dynamic pressure – the moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket.  

Continue following live coverage of launch milestones here on the blog, or watch live coverage on the NASA+ streaming service, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms, including social media. 

PACE is ‘Go’ for Launch From Florida

Photo credit: NASA Television

NASA’s senior launch manager, Tim Dunn, has just given NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission the “go” for launch!  

In the next few moments, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s nine Merlin engines will roar to life at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40, sending the PACE spacecraft on the start of its journey to a sun-synchronous orbit to study the Earth’s atmosphere and ocean surface from space. 

Liftoff remains on track for 1:33 a.m. EST.

PACE Launch to Light Up South Florida Sky

The astronauts on board the Space Shuttle Columbia took this 70mm picture featuring part of the eastern sea board. The oblique view looks northward from South Florida to the southern Appalachians. Most of the southeastern United States appears in crisp, clear air in the wake of a cold front that has pushed well off the mainland. Only a few jet stream and low-level clouds remain over South Florida and Gulf Stream. Photo credit: NASA
The astronauts on board the Space Shuttle Columbia took this 70mm picture featuring part of the eastern sea board. The oblique view looks northward from South Florida to the southern Appalachians. Most of the southeastern United States appears in crisp, clear air in the wake of a cold front that has pushed well off the mainland. Only a few jet stream and low-level clouds remain over South Florida and Gulf Stream. Photo credit: NASA

When NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission launches at 1:33 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will follow a little used flight path, or trajectory. 

After liftoff, the rocket will head south along the Florida coastline during its powered flight to insert the spacecraft into a sun-synchronous orbit. That means the spacecraft will always be in the same “fixed” position relative to the Sun as it orbits over the Earth’s polar regions. 

Provided the nighttime skies over South Florida are clear, millions of residents will be able to look up and see the Falcon 9 overhead within minutes after launch. 

Meet NASA’s PACE Spacecraft, Science Instruments

Photo of PACE encapsulation inside (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft in SpaceX’s Falcon 9 payload fairings.
NASA and SpaceX technicians safely encapsulate NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft in SpaceX’s Falcon 9 payload fairings on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo Credit: NASA Goddard/Denny Henry

As NASA and SpaceX teams continue to work toward liftoff of the agency’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission aboard a Falcon 9 rocket scheduled for 1:33 a.m. EST, here’s a look at some facts about the spacecraft and the science instruments on board: 

  • The PACE spacecraft stands about 10 feet tall and when fully fueled weighs 3,748 pounds. 
  • PACE’s propulsion system uses monopropellant hydrazine. A single tank holds about 518 pounds (235 kg) of hydrazine that feeds eight onboard thrusters. 
  • The spacecraft’s solar array is made of three panels. The array measures 100 inches by 173 inches and generates about 2.7 kilowatts of power at beginning of operation. 
  • The primary science instrument is the ocean color instrument. The instrument will monitor global phytoplankton distribution and record new observations of the color of the ocean which is determined by the interaction of phytoplankton and sunlight. 
  • PACE carries two other instruments called polarimeters which are contributed by a consortium based in the Netherlands and University of Maryland Baltimore County. 
  • The Spectro-polarimeter for Planetary Exploration (SPEXone) and the Hyper Angular Research Polarimeter (HARP2) will collect measurements on aerosols, small solid or liquid particles in the atmosphere, their relationship to cloud formations, and the interaction with sunlight to learn more about how they impact climate change. 
  • Together, the three instruments will contribute new and significant breakthroughs in aerosol-cloud-ocean research. 
  • PACE will operate in a sun-synchronous, polar orbit about 420 miles above the Earth’s surface. At an orbital velocity of 16,800 mph, it will orbit the Earth once every 98.3 minutes. 

Continue following live countdown coverage and upcoming launch milestones right here on the blog. 

NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem Earth Science Mission

Photo credit: NASA Television

NASA’s newest Earth-observing satellite called PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) is dedicated to climate science and helping researchers learn more about the relationship between the atmosphere and ocean. 

Satellite observation technology to study Earth’s atmosphere and oceans has been used for decades, but with a spectrometer and two polarimeters onboard, PACE will provide a major leap forward by providing new data on clouds, aerosols, and phytoplankton in our oceans. 

PACE will enable new views of clouds and aerosols within the atmosphere, and microscopic phytoplankton in the ocean that can help to reveal more about climate change’s impact on marine life and ocean health. 

Changes in phytoplankton populations can appear as different colors on the ocean surface and with PACE, these color variations will be more discernible. Phytoplankton also interact with microscopic airborne particles called aerosols. Clouds form in the atmosphere when water vapor condenses on these particles. Aerosols can sometimes be the result of wildfires and pollution. Often, the particles end up deposited on the ocean surface which can encourage phytoplankton blooms. 

Scientists will use data from PACE’s instruments to measure size, composition, and amount of aerosols present within the atmosphere. This information will help scientists better understand how clouds and aerosols interact and what that impact is on ocean health. Together, these puzzle pieces can reveal larger insights about climate change. 

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will follow a path along a southern polar trajectory and insert PACE into a sun-synchronous orbit. Liftoff is scheduled for 1:33 a.m. EST. 

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center is responsible for the mission including the design and fabrication of the spacecraft and the development of its instruments. The agency’s Launch Services Program (LSP) based at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida manages the launch service for the mission. 

PACE is LSP’s first launch to polar orbit from Florida’s Space Coast, and it’s the first for NASA since 1960. Other launches to polar orbit have been from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SpaceX has launched to a polar orbit from Florida for other customers. 

To learn more about PACE, visit:

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/pace 

Stay right here for continued blog coverage, or tune in to the launch broadcast on NASA Television, NASA+, the NASA app, and the agency’s website, as well as YouTube, X, Facebook, Twitch, and Daily Motion

Key Milestones for Launch of Tonight’s PACE Mission From Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket topped with NASA's PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft inside a protective payload fairing is raised vertical at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket topped with NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft inside a protective payload fairing is raised vertical at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Photo credit: NASA Television

Here’s a look at some of the milestones for this morning’s countdown, liftoff, and ascent of NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. All times are approximate: 

COUNTDOWN : 
Hr/Min/Sec        Event 

00:38:00        SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load 

00:35:00         RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins 

00:35:00         1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins 

00:16:00         2nd stage LOX loading begins 

00:07:00         Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch 

00:01:00         Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks 

00:01:00         Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins 

00:00:45         SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch 

00:00:03         Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start 

    00:00:00         Falcon 9 liftoff 

LAUNCH, LANDING, AND SPACECRAFT DEPLOYMENT: 
Hr/Min/Sec        Event

00:01:07          Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket) 

00:02:19          1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO) 

00:02:23          1st and 2nd stages separate 

00:02:30         2nd stage engine starts 

00:02:36         Boostback Burn Starts 

00:03:16         Boostback Burn Ends 

00:04:15         Fairing deployment 

00:05:46        1st stage entry burn start 

00:06:11         1st stage entry burn ends 

00:06:58       1st stage landing burn start 

00:07:32       1st stage landing 

00:10:20       2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1) 

00:12:22       PACE spacecraft deploys