PREFIRE – Small Satellite Missions

Twin Mini NASA Satellites Capture Data on Polar Heat Emissions

Two shoebox-size satellites, part of NASA’s Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-Infrared Experiment (PREFIRE) mission, are delivering measurements on the amount of heat in the form of far-infrared radiation that the Arctic and Antarctica emit to space. This aspect of the polar environment has never been systematically measured before and will offer crucial insights into Earth’s energy budget. The information will help researchers gain a clearer understanding of when and where Earth’s polar regions emit far-infrared radiation to space, as well as how atmospheric water vapor and clouds influence the amount that escapes.

The first cube satellite, or CubeSat, launched on May 25 from New Zealand and started sending back science data in July. Launched on June 5, the second CubeSat had an issue with its GPS unit, which researchers were planning to use to help geolocate the science data from the satellite. After the GPS unit on the first CubeSat also began experiencing issues, the PREFIRE team decided to turn off the GPS units on both CubeSats and use an alternative method for geolocating the science data. The second CubeSat started sending back science data in August. The GPS issue has not affected the science operations of either CubeSat.

Initial data products from both CubeSats were made publicly available in late October through NASA’s Atmospheric Science Data Center. Subsequent data products are scheduled for public release in early 2025. Data from the mission will help researchers better predict how a changing climate will affect the planet’s ice, seas, and weather. This information can be used to help communities around the world better prepare for shifts in climate and weather patterns.

News Media Contacts
Jane J. Lee / Andrew Wang
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-0307 / 626-379-6874
jane.j.lee@jpl.nasa.gov / andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov

Liftoff for PREFIRE and Ice!

A Rocket Lab Electron rocket lifts off from the pad amid an overcast sky. — Rocket Lab’s “PREFIRE and Ice” launches carrying NASA’s second PREFIRE CubeSat from New Zealand on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Credit: Rocket Lab Broadcast

Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 1 at Māhia, New Zealand at 3:15 p.m. NZST Wednesday, June 5 (11:15 p.m. EDT Tuesday, June 4), on the second of two launches of NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission.

The PREFIRE mission will help close a gap in our understanding of how much of Earth’s heat is lost to space from the Arctic and Antarctica. Each PREFIRE satellite is equipped with an instrument called a thermal infrared spectrometer. The instrument contains specially shaped mirrors and detectors for splitting and measuring infrared light. Analysis of PREFIRE measurements will inform climate and ice models, providing better projections of how a warming world will affect sea ice loss, ice sheet melt, and sea level rise.

The mission consists of two 6U CubeSats with a baseline mission length of 10 months and is jointly developed by NASA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California manages the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and provided the instruments. Blue Canyon Technologies built the CubeSats, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison will process the data collected by the instruments. The science team includes members from JPL and the Universities of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Colorado.

NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, selected Rocket Lab to provide the launch service as part of the agency’s VADR (Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare) launch services contract.

This concludes our coverage of the “PREFIRE and Ice” launch. The team is now working to establish communications with this PREFIRE CubeSat and will provide confirmation when signal is acquired. For updates, follow NASA’s small satellite missions blog or visit: https://science.jpl.nasa.gov/projects/prefire/.

Rocket Lab’s Electron Rocket ‘Go’ for Launch!

The mission team has called out “go for launch” for Rocket Lab’s PREFIRE and Ice launch, with the second of two launches of NASA’s PREFIRE mission now just minutes away!

The CubeSat – about the size of a bread loaf – is set to launch aboard the company’s Electron rocket, from Launch Complex 1 at Māhia, New Zealand.

The Electron is a vertically launched, two-stage rocket around 60 feet (18 meters) tall, with an exterior made of a carbon fiber composite, that can carry payloads weighing up to about 700 pounds (320 kilograms). Each Electron rocket uses nine Rutherford sea-level engines on its first stage, a single Rutherford vacuum engine on its second stage, and uses liquid oxygen and kerosene as propellants. The Rutherford engine is the world’s first 3D-printed, electric-pump-fed rocket engine.

The kick stage is a third stage of the Electron rocket used to circularize and raise orbits to deploy payloads to unique and precise orbital destinations, powered by Rocket Lab’s Curie engine.

Members of today’s launch team are located within Rocket Lab’s private control facilities at Launch Complex 1 on the North Island of New Zealand. From the launch site it is possible to reach orbital inclinations from sun-synchronous through to 30 degrees, enabling versatility for missions to low Earth orbit. NASA’s Launch Services Program team and spacecraft customer team will be on console at Rocket Lab Headquarters in Long Beach, California.

NASA’s Second PREFIRE Launch Coverage Now Underway

Live coverage of the second and final launch of NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission is underway. Rocket Lab is targeting Wednesday, June 5 at 3:15 p.m. NZST (11:15 p.m. EDT Tuesday, June 4) for launch of “PREFIRE and Ice,” which will send the agency’s CubeSat to low Earth orbit to measure the amount of heat Earth radiates into space from two of the coldest, most remote regions on the planet.

Watch Rocket Lab’s launch broadcast on the company’s website.

NASA’s Second PREFIRE Mission: Small Satellites, Big Science

NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission will fly a pair of shoebox-size cube satellites, or CubeSats, that will measure the amount of heat Earth radiates into space from two of the coldest, most remote regions on the planet – Earth’s polar regions.

At the heart of the PREFIRE mission is Earth’s energy budget – the balance between incoming heat energy from the Sun and the outgoing heat given off by the planet. The difference between the two is what determines the planet’s temperature and climate. A lot of the heat radiated from the Arctic and Antarctica is emitted as far-infrared radiation, but there is currently no detailed measurement of this type of energy.

The water vapor content of the atmosphere, along with the presence, structure, and composition of clouds, influences the amount of far-infrared radiation that escapes into space from Earth’s poles. Data collected from PREFIRE will give researchers information on where and when far-infrared energy radiates from the Arctic and Antarctic environments into space.

The PREFIRE mission features miniaturized thermal infrared spectrometers on both CubeSat satellites. Once deployed, the CubeSats will settle into a polar orbit to measure far-infrared emissions and how they change throughout the day and over seasons. The observations will allow scientists to assess how changes in thermal infrared emissions at the top of Earth’s atmosphere are related to changes in cloud cover and surface conditions below, such as the amount of sea ice and meltwater on the surface of the ice.

NASA’s PREFIRE mission will fill a gap in our understanding of how much of Earth’s heat is lost to space from the polar regions. By capturing measurements over the poles that can only be gathered from space, PREFIRE will enable researchers to systematically study the planet’s heat emissions in the far-infrared – with 10 times finer wavelength resolution than any previous sensor. 

To learn more about the PREFIRE mission, visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/prefire/

NASA’s Second PREFIRE Mission: Weather 80% Favorable for Launch

Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket called "PREFIRE and Ice” is vertical on the pad in Mahia, New Zealand ahead of launching the second of two PREFIRE CubeSats for NASA on May 29, 2024. — Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket called “PREFIRE and Ice” is vertical on the pad in Mahia, New Zealand ahead of launching the second of two PREFIRE CubeSats for NASA on May 29, 2024. Photo Credit: Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab successfully conducted a Delta Launch Readiness Review yesterday for the second launch of NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission and is ready to proceed to launch.

The launch, named “PREFIRE and Ice” by Rocket Lab, is targeted for Wednesday, June 5, at 3:15 p.m. NZST (11:15 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, June 4).

Weather officials with Rocket Lab predict an 80% chance of favorable weather for launch of PREFIRE.

Continue checking NASA’s small satellites missions blog for updates or watch live coverage on Rocket Lab’s livestream. You can stay connected with the mission on social media.

X: @NASA_LSP, @NASAEarth, @NASAKennedy, @NASA, @RocketLab, @NASAJPL
Facebook: NASA, NASA LSP, @NASAJPL, RocketLabUSA
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAEarth, @NASAJPL, @RocketLabUSA

Launch Reset for NASA’s Second PREFIRE Climate Mission

The PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission will send two CubeSats – shown as an artist’s concept against an image of Earth from orbit – into space to study how much heat the planet absorbs and emits from its polar regions, including the Arctic and Antarctica.

NASA and Rocket Lab now are targeting no earlier than 3 p.m. NZST, Wednesday, June 5, (11 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, June 4) for the launch of the second CubeSat for the agency’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission. Rocket Lab waved off the June 1 launch attempt of “PREFIRE and Ice” due to out of range temperatures of the liquid oxygen propellant.

The PREFIRE mission consists of two shoebox-size cube satellites, or CubeSats, that will measure the amount of heat Earth radiates into space from two of the coldest, most remote regions on the planet. Data from the PREFIRE mission will help researchers better predict how Earth’s ice, seas, and weather will change in a warming world.

The first satellite successfully launched on 7:41 p.m. NZST May 25 (3:41 a.m. EDT) on an Electron rocket, called “Ready, Aim, PREFIRE,” from Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand. Ground controllers established communications with the first CubeSat within hours of the launch.

NASA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison jointly developed the PREFIRE mission. The agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, located in Southern California, manages the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and provided the spectrometers. Blue Canyon Technologies built the CubeSats, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison will process the collected data.

NASA’s Launch Services Program selected Rocket Lab to launch both spacecraft as part of the agency’s VADR (Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare) contract. CubeSats like PREFIRE serve as an ideal platform for technical and architecture innovation, contributing to NASA’s science research and technology development.

Follow mission updates on NASA’s small satellite blog and stay connected with the mission on social media.

X: @NASA_LSP, @NASAEarth, @NASAKennedy, @NASA, @RocketLab, @NASAJPL

Facebook: NASA, NASA LSP, @NASAJPL, RocketLabUSA
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAEarth, @NASAJPL, @RocketLabUSA

Second PREFIRE Launch is Delayed

After two holds in the countdown to the launch attempt, Rocket Lab has waived off the second launch for NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission.

Rocket Lab will assess the situation and provide more information and a new launch date when it is available.

Continue checking NASA’s small satellite missions blog for updates. You can stay connected with the mission on social media.

X: @NASA_LSP, @NASAEarth, @NASAKennedy, @NASA, @RocketLab, @NASAJPL
Facebook: NASA, NASA LSP, @NASAJPL, RocketLabUSA
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAEarth, @NASAJPL, @RocketLabUSA

Countdown Resumes For PREFIRE Launch

After a 20 minute hold, the countdown has resumed for NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission.

This second satellite about the size of a shoebox waits on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket for liftoff on the mission’s second and final launch.

The launch, named “PREFIRE and Ice” by Rocket Lab, is now targeted for Saturday, June 1, at 3:46 p.m. NZST (11:46 p.m. EDT Friday, May 31).

Watch Rocket Lab’s live launch coverage at https://www.rocketlabusa.com/live-stream.

Rocket Lab’s Electron Rocket Go for Launch!

Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket called “Ready, Aim, PREFIRE” is on the launch pad on May 25, 2024, with the first CubeSat ready to lift off from the company’s facility in Mahia, New Zealand.

The second of two launches of NASA’s PREFIRE mission is just minutes away!

The mission team has called out “go for launch” for Rocket Lab’s PREFIRE and Ice launch and should lift off in about five minutes. The CubeSat – about the size of a bread loaf – is set to launch aboard an Electron rocket, from Launch Complex 1 at Māhia, New Zealand.

The kick stage is a third stage of the Electron rocket used to circularize and raise orbits to deploy payloads to unique and precise orbital destinations, powered by Rocket Lab’s Curie engine.

Previous NASA missions that launched on an Electron rocket include NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System, TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats), CAPSTONE (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment), and multiple ELaNA (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) missions.

Some of the launch team members are located within Rocket Lab’s private range control facilities at Launch Complex 1on the North Island of New Zealand. From the launch site it is possible to reach orbital inclinations from sun-synchronous through to 30 degrees, enabling versatility for missions to low Earth orbit. NASA’s Launch Services Program team and spacecraft customer team will be on console at Rocket Lab Headquarters in Long Beach, California.