EarthCARE Status – May 2021
2nd ESA EarthCARE Validation Workshop
Dirk Bernaerts, EarthCARE Project Manager
25-28 May 2021 (online)
ESA UNCLASSIFIED – For ESA Official Use Only

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EarthCARE Status

Since beginning of May 2021, all 4
instruments integrated on EarthCARE
spacecraft.
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EarthCARE Mission
Earth, Cloud, Aerosols andRadiation Explorer
Mission Objective:

Understanding of cloud-aerosol-radiation interactions toimprove climate & NWP models
Required collocated observations:••••

Vertical profiles of aerosols and their radiative properties
Vertical profiles of liquid and ice clouds and their rad. prop.
Cloud distribution, overlap, precip and vertical motion
Reflected solar and emitted thermal radiation at TOA

Observations goal:•Radiation modelled from observed cloud/precip.
and aerosol profiles matches observed
TOA radiances and fluxes

Collocatedobservationsof lidar,radar,imager,radiometer3

EarthCARE Mission
6th Earth Explorer Mission
Largest, most complex Earth Explorer
Mission so far

Considerable expectations, from scientific andoperational community“Potential for EarthCARE to emulate Aeolus with rapid
progression to positive operational impact!” F. Rabier, ECMWF

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EarthCARE Mission

SynergyCooperation

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Orbit:Satellite:• 393 km mean altitude• Sun Synchronous frozen orbit• 14h00 DSN MLST
• 97°Inclination• 25-days/389 orbits repeat
cycle (93-minutes orbit)• +/- 25km deadband• 2350 kg (incl. 313 kg propellant)• 3-axis stabilized / yaw-steering• 1700W• Carbon-fiber structure & compact
platform design (for pointing and coalignment)• Elongated shape (for drag reduction)≈19 m

EarthCARE Spacecraft - Datasheet

Data volumes:
Lifetime:• 3 years + 1 year consumable margin(incl. 6-months commissioning)• On-board data rates:<15 kbps (HKTM)<2.5 Mbps (science)• L0:
1.7 GB / orbit• L1/L2:70 GB / orbit

Payload:
JAXA CPR

Communications & Operations• S-Band up-/down-links for command/control via
Kiruna station (2 passes per day)• X-Band 150-Mbps for downlinking science/recorded
TM via Kiruna-Esranges & Inuvik stations (10passes per day)• 5-day operational autonomy via uploading of theOrbit Position Sequencer

ESA BBR
ESA ATLID

ESA MSI67

ATLID
Detection of small ice particles and water droplets
Vertical profiles of thin cloud and aerosol layers, cloudboundaries.
Atmospheric LIDAR with 355nm source
Vertical Profiles 0-40km, 100-500 m resolution
Horizontal sampling 280m
Return signal in 3 science channels:•••

Rayleigh co-polarisation -> molecular backscatter
Mie co-polarisation -> aerosol and thin clouds backscatter
Mie cross polarisation -> polarisation ration of backscatter

L1 product: attenuated backscatter profiles

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ATLID - Status

ATLID integrated on spacecraft, Performance
Check and Integrated System Test successfully
performed in 2020.
Performance budgets updated, Delivery Review Boardongoing.

Open Work: Life test on flight spare PLH

9MSI
Provide contextual imagery information tosupport geophysical parameters retrieval fromthe active instruments data.
Aerosol optical properties/type
Support BBR calibration
Multi-Spectral Imager
Swath 150km (-35km to +115km)
Ground sampling distance 500m
Spectral channels: 0.67µm, 0.86µm, 1.65µm, 2.2µm,8.8µm, 10.8µm, 12.0 µm
Visible, Near IR, SWIR (VNS) Camera
Thermal Infrared (TIR) Camera
L1 product: radiances (VNS), brightness
temperatures (TIR)10MSI - Status

Absolute radiometricaccuracy applicable
range

MSI integrated on spacecraft, Performance Checkand Integrated System Test performed since Q4
2019.
Open Work: Modifications to improve TIR thermal
straylight (modifications to baffles design and thermalcontrol -> apply in-situ on spacecraft) + additional
system tests

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BBR
Derive instantaneous TOA fluxes with accuracy
better than 10Wm-2• Estimate outgoing solar reflected & emitted
thermal fluxes• Cross-check radiation balance estimates fromother EarthCARE instruments
3 telescopes measuring Total Wave & Short
Wave radiance at same location but differentangles.
•••••

SW channel 0.25 to 4µm
LW channel 4µm to >50µm
Angular sampling 0, + / - 55°
Spatial resolution 10km x 10km
Spatial sampling distance 1km

L1 product: solar and thermal TOA radiances
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BBR Status

BBR integrated on spacecraft, Performance Checkand Integrated System Test performed in 2018.
BBR covers in place and instrument protected byinstrument specific tent (to protect Optical Surface
Reflectors)
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CPR
Measure vertical cloud structure for retrieval ofcloud microscopic and macroscopic properties
and vertical velocity of cloud particles.
High Power 94 GHz Doppler Radar with
deployable 2.5m antenna• Center frequency 94.05 GHz• Horizontal resolution 800m (sampling interval500m)• Vertical resolution 500m (sampling interval 100m)• Measurement from -1km (surface backscatter) up
to 20km• Doppler capability allows to derive information
about particle motion in atmosphere, providing
novel information on convection, precipitating ice
particles and raindrop fall.
Images courtesy JAXA

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CPR Status

HVGM potting. Image courtesy Leonardo

Movie and image courtesy Airbus

CPR mechanically and electrically integrated on
spacecraft.
Open Work: Instrument Performance Check, Integrated
System Tests and deployment test ongoing in Q2 2021.
Manufacturing of redundant HPT ongoing for later integrationin CPR.

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EarthCARE Spacecraft Status

EarthCARE integrated at Airbus. System level
functional and performance tests ongoing.
Open Work: 2021 Complete CPR testing, MSI
modifications, Perform all system level tests, including
System Validation Tests. 2022 Environmental test
campaign @ESTEC, CPR HPT-A integration, Acceptance
Review.

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EarthCARE Ground Segment
ESA Flight Operations Segment (FOS/ESOC): Spacecraft
commanding/health monitoring/orbit control

ESA Payload Data Ground Segment (PDGS/ESRIN): science dataacquisition, processing, archiving and distribution of (L0)L1/L2 data
products to JAXA and users community
JAXA CPR Ground Segment (EORC): produce L1 CPR data
products, support CPR calibration, operations anddissemminate/archive L1/L2 data products back to PDGS and users
community
Other parties: S/C prime, ECMWF, Expert Teams, Users
Community

All Ground Segment
activities
restarted/ramping up
after period of “onhold”/”lower pace”
17EarthCARE Ground Segment – Data Production Model
CPR Level 1b (JAXA)
Radar reflectivity andDoppler velocity profiles

ATLID Level 1b (ESA)
Attenuated backscatter in• Rayleigh channel• Co-polar Mie channel• Cross-polar Mie channel

MSI Level 1b/c (ESA)TOA radiances for four solarchannels, TOA brightness
temperatures for threethermal channels

BBR Level 1b (ESA)
Filtered TOA short-wave andtotal-wave radiances
Note: uncorrected for
instrument effects

CPR Level 2aRadar echo product, featuremask, cloud type, liquid andice cloud properties, verticalmotion, rain and snow
estimates, ...

ATLID Level 2a
Feature mask and target
classification, extinction,backscatter & depol. profiles,aerosol properties, ice cloudproperties, ...

MSI Level 2a
Cloud mask, cloud microphysical parameters, cloud
top height, aerosolparameters, ...

BBR Level 2b
Unfiltered top-of-atmosphereradiances, short-wave andlong-wave fluxes
Products are enhanced byusing MSI

Synergistic Level 2bTarget classification, cloud &aerosol prof. at x-sectn, …

Operational
softwaredeveloped
directly by
science teams

3D Scenes Construction
Expand syn. retrievals acrosstrack using MSI; ≈40km wide
Radiative Transfer Products
calculated radiances, fluxes,
heating rate profiles

EarthCARE
Data Production
ModelAssessment
Comparison of calculated
fluxes and radiances to BBR
observations
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EarthCARE Ground Segment – L2From CASPER to CARDINALATLAS== ATLID and ATLID/MSI synergy ==
APRIL
IRMA
== MSI (clouds and aerosols) ==CASPER== CPR and ATLID/CPR/MSI synergy ==
VARSY

DORSY

CARDINAL

RATEC== BBR, radiation and assessment ==FLURB

2007

2009

2011

CLARA/ICERAD

2014

Remaining activities: Focus on completing
processing chain, PDGS integration, GS
Verification/Validation

2021
Final Presentations
3/2021

2023Kick-Off 5/2021
19Launcher

Soyuz from European Spaceport in French Guyana
Contract signed, and fully kicked-off. Activities ongoingtowards PMAR (Preliminary Mission Analysis Review)
starting 9/2021.
Note: before PMAR, injection orbit optimization to be performed (missionduring solar max)

Launch Window opening end Q1/2023.
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EarthCARE planned activities
2021

2022

CPRInt.
andTestSystem level
tests

2023
CPR
HPT-A
swap

Environmental
Test Campaign

QAR

LaunchCamp.

LEOP/Commissioning

2024
Phase E2
(3(+0.5?) yrs

CPR HPT-A manufacturing and testing
MSI modifications

SVT
1C

GS Elements Finalization

SVT
1BSVT
2BGS
Integration

SVT
2A

GSOV

SVT
3GSA
R

Pre-Launch Validation Activities

Only ≈ 2 years to complete preparations !

Post Launch Validation

Limited in-orbit life
(active laser, propellant)

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Conclusion
All EarthCARE segments rampedup from bridging phase andprogressing full speed.

All instruments integrated onplatform and system level tests
ongoing.

Launcher activities ongoing. Launch
window opening Q1 2023 !!

EarthCARE = Complex
EarthCARE = Cooperation
EarthCARE in-orbit lifetime limits
Preparation = key !

…only mission success once its data is extensively used by the scientificcommunity.
=> Timely preparation of validation and scientific utilization !!

T h a nkyofor yo uursu p p ort !
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More info…

Presentations 1st and 2nd Validation Workshop

https://earthcare-val.esa.int/

ESA Project Team contacts
Rob Koopman
Tobias Wehr
Michael Eisinger
Kotska Wallace
Georgios Tzeremes
Matthias Gollor
Mehrdad Rezazad
Patrick Deghaye
Dirk Bernaerts

Cal/ValProject Scientist
Performance and Products
Mission & Optical Payloads
ManagerATLIDCPRSpacecraft & AIT/AIV Manager
Ground Segment /Commissioning
Project Manager

Scientific Validation Plan23