CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA’s PACE mission lifted off early Thursday on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The launch was originally scheduled for early Tuesday morning and then was pushed to Wednesday morning, though officials announced it would be delayed again to early Thursday because of unfavorable weather.
The PACE, or Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem, mission “will advance the assessment of ocean health by measuring the distribution of phytoplankton, tiny plants and algae that sustain the marine food web,” according to NASA.
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Following launch, the first stage of the rocket landed at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, triggering early morning sonic booms.
NASA said PACE has two fundamental science goals:
- To extend key systematic ocean color, aerosol, and cloud data records for Earth system and climate studies.
- To address new and emerging science questions using its advanced instruments, surpassing the capabilities of previous and current missions.
Over the next three years, PACE will view and collect data about the Earth’s atmosphere and ocean surface, expanding upon @NASA’s long-term observations of our planet
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 8, 2024
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