In an effort to assess Earth’s heat loss, the US space agency NASA has launched a satellite to investigate the Arctic and Antarctica, as reported by CNN.
The satellites were launched via a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Mahia, New Zealand, and were successfully deployed at 4:35am ET.
NASA aims to utilize the data gathered to enhance climate models, ultimately leading to more accurate predictions regarding the impact of the climate crisis on factors such as sea levels, weather patterns, and snow and ice coverage.
The mission, known as the Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment (PREFIRE), is primarily focused on gaining a deeper understanding of Earth’s atmosphere and how various elements contribute to the retention of heat within our planet.
NASA emphasized that following the absorption of solar energy in tropical regions, atmospheric and oceanic currents transport this heat towards the poles, where it is emitted upward into space. However, certain aspects of this heat exchange process have yet to be accurately measured.
