NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud and Ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft completed its journey Tuesday from the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, to the Astrotech Spacecraft Operations facility near the Center. Kennedy Space Agency in Florida.
Engineers and technicians arrived ahead of the spacecraft to prepare ground equipment for unloading and processing before fueling and final encapsulation. PACE will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in early 2024, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The mission will help clarify how the ocean and atmosphere exchange carbon dioxidewill enhance NASA’s more than 20 years of global satellite observations of ocean biology and atmospheric aerosols and continue key measurements related to air quality and climate.
The PACE project is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The agency’s Launch Services Program, headquartered at the Kennedy Space Center, is responsible for managing the launch service of the PACE mission.
