The Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) mission will improve scientists' understanding of the complex processes that lead to cloud formation, which play a crucial role in the Earth's energy balance.
The satellite will be equipped with a state-of-the-art imaging spectrometer to provide unprecedented global observations of the three-dimensional structure of clouds, including the size and shape of cloud droplets and ice particles, as well as the amount of water and ice they contain.
This data will enable scientists to better understand how clouds form and evolve, how they interact with the Earth's surface and atmosphere, and how they contribute to the Earth's energy balance.
Clouds play a dual role in the Earth's climate system: they reflect sunlight back to space, thus having a cooling effect, but they also trap heat, contributing to warming. The delicate balance between these two effects is crucial to understanding and predicting climate change.
Satellites currently provide observations of cloud properties, but their accuracy is limited, especially for low clouds that are difficult to observe from above. The EMIT mission will fill this gap by providing more accurate and comprehensive observations of clouds, including their three-dimensional structure and the size and shape of cloud droplets and ice particles.
The mission is a collaboration between NASA and CNES, with contributions from the European Space Agency (ESA). The satellite is expected to be launched in the early 2030s.
