NASA's new mission to study high-altitude ice clouds

NASA has announced a new mission called PolSIR (Polarized Submillimeter Ice-cloud Radiometer) to conduct a detailed study of high-altitude ice clouds and determine how and why they change throughout the day, providing invaluable insights into their impact on the Earth's climate.

The mission comprises two identical CubeSats, each standing just a little over a foot tall, flying in orbits separated by three to nine hours to observe the clouds' daily cycle of ice content. Data gathered by these satellites will help scientists better understand Earth's dynamic atmosphere and improve global climate models.

"Understanding how these ice clouds respond to a changing climate – and then, in turn, contribute to further changes – remains one of the great challenges to predicting what the atmosphere will do in the future. The radiometers, which measure the radiant energy emitted by clouds, will significantly improve our understanding of how ice clouds change and respond throughout the day," Karen St. Germain, who leads NASA's Earth Sciences Division.

Hey, you: Get a load of this cloud! High-altitude ice clouds (like this one) can help regulate Earth's temperature by reflecting energy from the Sun.A new @NASAEarth mission called PoISIR aims to study them in greater detail to improve climate forecasts. https://t.co/XXLPt1SsUa pic.twitter.com/YbO0XwaIPk

— NASA (@NASA) May 23, 2023