PACE-PAX validation campaign – validating PACE and supporting Earthcare

NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Clouds and ocean Ecosystems (PACE) Mission, scheduled to be launched in early 2024, will produce a variety of ocean color, aerosol, cloud and land surface data products from its three sensors. Some of these products will be created with established ‘heritage’ algorithms, and others are new, representing recent algorithm development and the unique measurement capability of the PACE sensors. A crucial part of the validation activities is the PACE Postlaunch Airborne eXperiment (PACE-PAX), that is planned to occur in September of 2024. This dedicated field campaign, due to its platform and instrumental setup, offers an opportunity to support not only PACE, but the EarthCARE mission as well, opening opportunities for validation, new collaborations, and development of new algorithms for both Earth science missions.