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Rocket Lab to launch two cubesats for NASA’s infrared study

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NASA has announced that it has selected Rocket Lab to launch two small satellites in 2024 that will monitor the energy balance of the Earth, especially in the polar regions where data is scarce. The satellites, called PREFIRE, will measure the infrared radiation that enters and leaves the planet using a spectrometer instrument.

Rocket Lab to launch two cubesats for NASA’s infrared study

Part of NASA's VADR program

Announcing the contract in a press release, NASA did not provide any details on how much it paid for the mission. The space agency awarded the contract to Rocket Lab under a program called VADR ( Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare) that allows NASA to select from a pool of pre-qualified launch providers. The launch provider also did not disclose the price of the contract, but said that it had a target selling price of $7.5 million for its Electron rocket this year.

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Rocket Lab said that the two satellites will fly on separate Electron rockets from its launch pad in New Zealand in May 2024. The satellites will go into 525-kilometer circular orbits around the poles with specific angles that need dedicated launches. The satellites will also fly close together to do the mission, which Rocket Lab showed it can do with two similar launches in May this year.

Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment

The PREFIRE mission, which stands for Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment, was picked by NASA in 2018 as part of its Earth Venture program, which costs $33 million. The mission is led by Tristan L’Ecuyer from the University of Wisconsin, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is in charge of making the instrument and managing the project.

The mission aims to fill a major gap in our understanding of the Arctic energy budget and the role of infrared radiation in Arctic warming, sea ice loss, ice sheet melt, and sea level rise. 

The satellites will make the first measurements of far infrared emissions, which are most of the energy that comes out of the polar regions, using a spectrometer that is based on an instrument that flew on a Mars orbiter.

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