Four new NASA Earth science missions launching in 2022

The American Geophysical Union's (AGU) 2021 Fall Meeting will host talks discussing the new missions, including the TROPICS, EMIT, NOAA's JPSS-2, and SWOT missions, launching in 2022.

The TROPICS mission will monitor tropical cyclones using six small satellites. As frequently as every fifty minutes, the satellites will make microwave observations of a storm's precipitation, temperature, and humidity to understand the mechanics driving the storm's intensity and make forecasts more accurate.

The Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) will be installed aboard the International Space Station (ISS). It will use an imaging spectrometer to trace the origin and composition of mineral dust that makes its way into the atmosphere. This dust can affect the climate through radiative forcing (changing the amount of solar energy entering and leaving the atmosphere) and impact various ecosystems and air quality.

Scientists will use the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) mission to help predict extreme weather and natural disasters, such as floods, wildfires, and volcanic activity. The satellites will circle the Earth around the North and South Pole's, capturing images of every part of the Earth at least twice a day.

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission will monitor the ocean and other water bodies to evaluate their role in climate change. It will monitor how much water is in the ocean and these water bodies, informing scientists of their ability to absorb excess heat and greenhouse gases and their responses to climate change.

You can learn more about the TROPICS, EMIT, JPSS-2 and SWOT missions here.