EarthCARE key facts

Equipped with four instruments, the Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) satellite mission has been designed to make a range of different measurements that together will shed new light on the role that clouds and aerosols play in regulating Earth’s climate.

The satellite’s cloud profiling radar provides information on the vertical structure and internal dynamics of clouds, its atmospheric lidar delivers cloud-top information and profiles of thin clouds and aerosols, its multispectral imager offers a wide-scene overview in multiple wavelengths, and its broadband radiometer measures reflected solar radiation and outgoing infrared radiation.

The fact that these different measurements are all taken at the same time allows scientists to better understand Earth’s radiation balance.