EarthCARE Large Space Simulator tests complete

ESA’s EarthCARE satellite in ESA’s ESTEC Test Centre in the Netherlands. The satellite spent three weeks in the Large Space Simulator as part of a 12-month testing programme to ensure that it will withstand the space environment once it is in orbit. The mission will answer some critical scientific questions related to the role that clouds and aerosols play in reflecting incident solar radiation back out to space and trapping infrared radiation emitted from Earth’s surface.