Earthcare cloud mission launches to resolve climate unknowns

“These aren’t missions that you put up to be cheap and quick, to solve small problems; this is complex. The reason Earthcare has taken so long is because we want the gold standard,” said Dr Beth Greenaway, the head of Earth observation at the UK Space Agency.

Earthcare won’t have long to gather its data. Flying at 400km means it will feel the drag of the residual atmosphere at that altitude. This will work to pull the satellite down.

“It’s got fuel for three years with the reserve of another year. It’s basically lifetime-limited by its low orbit and the drag there,” said Esa’s Dr Michael Eisinger.

The industrial development of Earthcare was led by Airbus-Germany, with the basic chassis, or structure, of the spacecraft built in the UK. Britain also supplied the radiometer, from Thales Alenia Space UK, and the imager, from Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. GMV-UK has prepared the ground systems that will process all the data.