| Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) | |||||||||||||
| Names List: | Pre-Aerosol, Cloud, and ocean Ecosystem | ||||||||||||
| Mission Type: | Remote sensing | ||||||||||||
| Operator: | NASA / GSFC | ||||||||||||
| Mission Duration: | 3-10 years (planned) (in progress) | ||||||||||||
| Spacecraft: | PACE | ||||||||||||
| Manufacturer: | Goddard Space Flight Center | ||||||||||||
| Power: | 1000 watts | ||||||||||||
| Launch Date: | UTC[1] [2] | ||||||||||||
| Launch Rocket: | Falcon 9 Block 5 (B1081.4) | ||||||||||||
| Launch Site: | Cape Canaveral, SLC40 | ||||||||||||
| Launch Contractor: | SpaceX | ||||||||||||
| Orbit Reference: | Geocentric orbit | ||||||||||||
| Orbit Regime: | Sun-synchronous orbit | ||||||||||||
| Orbit Inclination: | 98° | ||||||||||||
| Orbit Period: | 2-day global coverage 60° instrument view angle | ||||||||||||
| Apsis: | gee | ||||||||||||
| Trans Band: | S-Band Command & Telemetry | ||||||||||||
| Instruments: |
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| Instruments List: |
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| Insignia: | PACE_Mission_Logo.png | ||||||||||||
| Insignia Caption: | PACE mission logo | ||||||||||||
Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) is a NASA Earth-observing satellite mission that will continue and advance observations of global ocean color, biogeochemistry, and ecology, as well as the carbon cycle, aerosols and clouds.[3] PACE will be used to identify the extent and duration of phytoplankton blooms and improve understanding of air quality.[4] These and other uses of PACE data will benefit the economy and society, especially sectors that rely on water quality, fisheries and food security.[5]
After being proposed for cancellation under President Trump's FY 2018 budget, it was restored by Congress.[6] The PACE project is managed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.[7] The main instrument and bus were designed and built at Goddard Space Flight Center.[8]
On 4 February 2020, NASA announced the selection of SpaceX to launch PACE on a Falcon 9, at a total cost to NASA of US$80.4 million, including the launch service and other mission-related costs.[9] The total cost of the mission is $964 million, which includes spacecraft construction, launch, and operations. PACE successfully launched on 8 February 2024 at 06:33 UTC.[10] On 17 April 2024 it was announced that first operational data was received.[11]
The Pre-Aerosol, Cloud, and ocean Ecosystem satellite (PACE)[12] was approved to move forward out of its preliminary stage of planning on 16 June 2016 at the Key Decision Point-A (KDP-A) event. According to project manager Andre Dress, a significant milestone for the next stage was that the official mission budget became available for use on 1 July 2016.[8]
PACE has two fundamental science goals: "to extend key systematic ocean color, aerosol, and cloud data records for Earth system and climate studies, and to address new and emerging science questions using its advanced instruments, surpassing the capabilities of previous and current missions".[3] The ocean and atmosphere are directly connected, moving and transferring energy, water, nutrients, gases, aerosols, and pollutants. Aerosols, clouds, and phytoplankton can also affect one another.[3]
PACE will measure atmospheric particles and clouds that scatter and absorb sunlight. Improved characterization of aerosol particles will enable quantifying their impact on marine biology and ocean chemistry, as well as Earth's energy budget and ecological forecasting.[3] PACE will enable scientists to better monitor fisheries, identify harmful algal blooms, and observe changes in marine resources. The color of the ocean is determined by the interaction of sunlight with substances or particles present in seawater such as chlorophyll, a green pigment found in most phytoplankton species. By monitoring global phytoplankton distribution and abundance, the mission will contribute toward understanding the complex systems that drive ocean ecology.[3]
The oceans play a critical role in supporting life on Earth as well as the global economy. To understand changes in ocean health related to climate change;[3] formulation of science objectives and sensor requirements for an advanced ocean biology satellite mission began in the year 2000 with a NASA agency-wide carbon cycle initiative that included ocean, terrestrial, and atmospheric disciplines.
The instrument requirements for this ocean ecology mission are:[3]
PACE was launched on 8 February 2024, at 06:33 UTC instantaneous launch window, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40, after two days of delays caused by bad weather. Shortly after launch, the rocket performed a dogleg maneuver to place it in a southbound trajectory. After first stage separation, the Falcon 9 booster performed a boostback burn and returned to land on the launch site, where it will be refurbished and reused on future flights. This was the fourth flight of this particular booster, which is designated B1081. The second stage of the rocket-propelled PACE into its final orbit at an altitude of 676.5 kilometers and the spacecraft was separated about 13 minutes after launch.
Unusual for an east coast launch, this was a polar launch that placed the spacecraft into a Sun-synchronous orbit, a type of orbit commonly used on observation satellites because it sees a given spot on Earth at the same time every day. These launches are usually carried out from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, to prevent debris from landing on populated areas, but SpaceX resumed polar launches from Florida in 2020 because of its ability to land the Falcon 9 booster safely and the introduction of the Autonomous Flight Safety System on the Falcon rockets. PACE was the first US government mission to launch to a polar orbit from Florida since 1960. The choice to launch PACE from Florida was simply a matter of convenience, due to it being located closer to the Goddard Space Flight Center, where the mission is operated.[18] [19] [20]
The cost of the launch was $80.4 million.[18] After launch PACE entered a 60-day commissioning period before publication of data.[20]