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Rocket Lab launches second Cubesat PREFIRE satellite

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Rocket Lab Electron Rocket Lifting off from Rocket Lab launched the "PREFIRE and ICE" mission carrying the second and final CubeSat of the PREFIRE mission. The liftoff took place from Launch Complex 1, New Zealand

Rocket Lab launched the “PREFIRE and ICE” mission carrying the second and final CubeSat of the PREFIRE mission. The liftoff took place from Launch Complex 1, New Zealand, and comes a week after the first PREFIRE launch on May 25.

Developed by NASA, the PREFIRE mission includes two shoebox-size cube satellites. These will measure the heat Earth radiates into space from Earth’s poles. PREFIRE mission data will help researchers and scientists understand Earth’s ice, seas, and weather effects on climate and global warming.

It primarily looks into Earth’s energy budget, the balance between incoming heat energy from the Sun and the outgoing heat from the planet. The difference between these two decides Earth’s temperature and climate situations.

A lot of this heat generated by Earth comes from the Arctic and Antarctica as “far-infrared radiation”. This radiation is influenced by the water vapor content of the atmosphere, along with the presence, structure, and composition of clouds, which escape into space from Earth’s poles.

PREFIRE data will help researchers to read this far-infrared energy radiation from the Arctic and Antarctic.

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Mannoo specializes in Generative AI, Large Language Model (LLM), and Aerospace Science. Prior to delving into these fields, he was a Python programmer, a game designer, and an Android and iOS app developer with over 5 years of experience. He has prior writing experience in creative writing about smartphones and technology before working at Eonmsk.com. You can explore his X/TWitter and LinkedIn pages or contact him through his email.

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