Published on https://prefire.ssec.wisc.edu
News Archived By Month
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September 2024
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August 2024
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June 2024
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May 2024
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April 2024
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February 2024
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August 2023
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November 2022
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April 2022
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January 2022
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December 2021
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August 2021
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July 2020
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June 2020
PREFIRE First Light Announcement!
September 3, 2024NASA has publicly released the first look at PREFIRE mission data, also known as the first light announcement! The PREFIRE science team worked with NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio to create a first light video. It showcases some of the fascinating infrared details of the Arctic surface and atmosphere that PREFIRE-SAT2 captured in July 2024. The PREFIRE science team is hard at work analyzing the countless measurements that the twin CubeSats are radioing to the ground every day.
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2024 PREFIRE Science Team Meeting
August 15, 2024The 2024 PREFIRE Science Team Meeting was held at the University of Colorado on August 8th and 9th. The PREFIRE team, led by Tristan L'Ecuyer (PI) discussed the status of the PREFIRE CubeSats and instruments, the Science Data Processing System (SDPS), and preliminary data output, as well as the nuances and considerations of this unique dataset. The team also discussed potential validation activities and heard from several external scientists about related projects with the potential for both collaboration and validation.
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Second PREFIRE Satellite Launched!
June 5, 2024Rocket Lab successfully launched the second of two PREFIRE satellites from Mahia, New Zealand at 3:15 pm NZST (3:15 am UTC).
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Update on second PREFIRE CubeSat launch
June 1, 2024Rocket Lab has scheduled the second attempt at the #2 (and final) PREFIRE launch for June 5, 2024 at 03:13 am UTC! That is June 04, 2024 at 10:13 pm Central time in North America. Also, here is the official patch of the 49th Rocket Lab launch, PREFIRE and Ice. It depicts the kickstage (3rd stage) of an Electron rocket with a satellite on top, a polar bear on a chunk of polar ice, and a starry sky.
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First PREFIRE Satellite Launched!
May 25, 2024Rocket Lab successfully launched the first of two PREFIRE satellites from Mahia, New Zealand at 7:41 pm NZST (7:41 am UTC).
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Rocket assembly pics and PI radio interview
May 22, 2024Courtesy of Rocket Lab, we have some photos to share of the PREFIRE CubeSats being carefully attached to their Electron rockets! Another highlight for today is Radio New Zealand's short interview with Tristan L'Ecuyer, the PREFIRE Principal Investigator (PI).
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Launch update and a new short video!
May 21, 2024It is late autumn at the Rocket Lab launch complex in New Zealand, and forecasts of unsuitable weather have delayed the first PREFIRE CubeSat launch until May 25, 2024 at 7:28 am UTC. While you are waiting, enjoy a new mission overview video! It includes realistic animations that show the way the CubeSat solar panels will deploy, the view of Earth that our spectrometer will have, and why two CubeSats are better than one.
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NASA's tiny twin polar satellites (first launch soon)
May 15, 2024After a long-distance voyage to the Rocket Lab launch complex in New Zealand, the tiny twin PREFIRE CubeSats are being prepped for launch aboard two separate Electron rockets. The first PREFIRE CubeSat launch (referred to as Ready, Aim, PREFIRE by Rocket Lab) may occur as soon as May 22, 2024. Depending on where in the world you are, its launch time of about 7:30 am UTC may be during the day or night. Just how tiny are they? Each is the size and shape of a large shoebox when their solar panels are folded up!
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Names for the PREFIRE Launches!
April 29, 2024The first PREFIRE CubeSat launch has been dubbed Ready, Aim, PREFIRE by Rocket Lab, and will occur no earlier than May 22, 2024. Its sibling will then be lofted into space during the PREFIRE and Ice launch, within 3 weeks of the first.
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Pre-launch anticipation of PREFIRE CubeSat science
February 12, 2024Heading into space in late spring 2024 from a seaside launchpad in New Zealand, the dual PREFIRE CubeSats will soon begin their work! Although small in size, they will provide important measurements about how well the Earth's polar regions are able to cool off.
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PREFIRE Launch Announcement!
August 30, 2023NASA has selected the launch provider for the PREFIRE mission. Rocket Lab USA Inc. of Long Beach, California will launch both PREFIRE CubeSats during the spring of 2024. The first PREFIRE CubeSat launch is nominally scheduled for May 1, 2024, and the launch of the other PREFIRE CubeSat is scheduled for May 15, 2024.
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PREFIRE — CubeSats improve climate models and predictions
November 30, 2022Across Greenland, a 3,000-meter (9,800-foot) thick ice sheet blankets the large island holding enough water to raise sea levels by 7 m (23 ft). For millennia, the cycle of melting and freezing has played a major role in...
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Student research strengthens PREFIRE mission, provides scientific direction
April 6, 2022Gaining research experience in graduate school is essential preparation for finding a niche in science and for becoming a better scholar.
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PREFIRE's miniature detectors, Observing the Earth from CubeSats
26th January 2022Using miniaturized satellites called CubeSatsm, a new NASA mission is poised to gather missing data in the far infrared to better understand how the polar regions regulate Earth’s temperature.
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PREFIRE 2021 Science Team Meeting
1st December 2021On November 16-17, the PREFIRE science team virtually gathered for their annual meeting to collaborate and discuss updates. Participants from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Michigan, the University of Colorado, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and NASA discussed...
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PREFIRE - CubeSat mission bolsters Arctic datasets for improved climate predictions
30th August 2021“By filling the far-infrared observation gap and integrating these new observations into models, PREFIRE offers a pathway to improving polar climate predictions,” says Tristan L’Ecuyer...
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Static Test
1st July 2020Welcome to the PREFIRE Website, hosted at the Space Science and Engineering Center.
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Website Launch
16th June 2020Welcome to the PREFIRE Website, hosted at the Space Science and Engineering Center.
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Recent Posts
NASA has publicly released the first look at PREFIRE mission data, also known as the first light announcement! The PREFIRE science team worked with NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio to create a first light video. It showcases some of the fascinating infrared details of the Arctic surface and atmosphere that PREFIRE-SAT2 captured in July 2024. The PREFIRE science team is hard at work analyzing the countless measurements that the twin CubeSats are radioing to the ground every day.
Read more
The 2024 PREFIRE Science Team Meeting was held at the University of Colorado on August 8th and 9th. The PREFIRE team, led by Tristan L'Ecuyer (PI) discussed the status of the PREFIRE CubeSats and instruments, the Science Data Processing System (SDPS), and preliminary data output, as well as the nuances and considerations of this unique dataset. The team also discussed potential validation activities and heard from several external scientists about related projects with the potential for both collaboration and validation.
Read more
Rocket Lab successfully launched the second of two PREFIRE satellites from Mahia, New Zealand at 3:15 pm NZST (3:15 am UTC).
Read more
Rocket Lab has scheduled the second attempt at the #2 (and final) PREFIRE launch for June 5, 2024 at 03:13 am UTC! That is June 04, 2024 at 10:13 pm Central time in North America. Also, here is the official patch of the 49th Rocket Lab launch, PREFIRE and Ice. It depicts the kickstage (3rd stage) of an Electron rocket with a satellite on top, a polar bear on a chunk of polar ice, and a starry sky.
Read more
Rocket Lab successfully launched the first of two PREFIRE satellites from Mahia, New Zealand at 7:41 pm NZST (7:41 am UTC).
Read more