NASA's PREFIRE Mission | 30 May 2024

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has recently launched a pair of miniature satellites, called CubeSats (6U) to measure the heat lost from the Earth's poles.

The PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission aims to fill a critical gap in understanding the planet's energy budget by studying the heat emissions from the Earth's poles.
- The mission involves two CubeSats equipped with thermal infrared spectrometers to measure the amount of infrared and far-infrared radiation emitted from the Arctic and Antarctica.
This data will help scientists better understand the balance between incoming and outgoing heat, which is crucial for predicting changes in the Earth's ice, seas, and weather patterns.
A cube satellite (cubesat) is a standardized, low cost, small satellite design typically used for technological demonstration and research. It is a Nanosatellite - weighs less than 10 kgs.
- These are relatively inexpensive and can be launched in larger numbers, making them a valuable tool for scientific research and technology demonstrations.