NASA's CLARREO Pathfinder, carrying critical equipment from DTU Space, launched from Johnson Space Center in Houston, USA, on May 16, 2026. The launch had been postponed due to a queue of commercial rocket launches using the same SpaceX rocket type.
Purpose
CLARREO Pathfinder aims to measure the proportion of solar energy reflected from Earth's atmosphere, primarily from cloud tops, to improve understanding of Earth's energy balance and climate change predictions.
Technology
DTU Space provided positioning and navigation equipment using digital camera technology to maintain stable and precise orientation of the instruments on the International Space Station (ISS), counteracting movements from the station, other spacecraft, and onboard activities. This stability is critical for measuring small variations in reflected sunlight.
Expected Accuracy
According to NASA, CLARREO measurements will be five to ten times more accurate than existing observations, enabling earlier detection of small climate changes.
Role
CLARREO Pathfinder serves as a reference calibration mission for adjusting data from other Earth observation satellites to enhance climate models.