Rocket Lab will launch two small satellites for NASA that could help scientists better understand how a warming climate will affect the massive ice shelves at the Earth’s poles.
The PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission will gather data on how much far-infrared energy is emitted at the poles, and how those emissions change throughout the day and year. Far-infrared is a poorly understood portion of the Earth’s energy spectrum, though nearly 60% of Arctic emissions occur at these wavelengths.
The two satellites, each the size of a bread loaf, will be equipped with a miniaturized instrument …
