NASA is launching a new era of Earth observation, and two University of Washington-led teams are at the forefront! Get ready to dive deep into understanding our planet like never before, as NASA has just greenlit two ambitious satellite missions, STRIVE and EDGE, designed to unlock critical secrets of our atmosphere and surface. This is a monumental step in our quest to predict environmental shifts and better prepare for natural disasters.
But here's where it gets fascinating: These aren't just any missions; they're part of NASA's prestigious Earth System Explorers Program, a testament to cutting-edge science recommended by top national academies. Each mission, a marvel of innovation, will cost no more than $355 million (excluding launch costs) and is slated for a launch no earlier than 2030.
Imagine being able to observe our atmosphere with unprecedented detail – that's the dream Lyatt Jaeglé, a UW professor of atmospheric and climate science and the lead for the STRIVE mission, is bringing to life. "To be able to observe the atmosphere at this level of detail is a tremendous opportunity," she shared, highlighting that this project has been years in the making for her and her team.
Introducing STRIVE: Your Window to the Atmosphere's Secrets
STRIVE, an acronym for Stratosphere-Troposphere Response using Infrared Vertically-resolved light Explorer, is set to revolutionize our understanding of the atmospheric layers where weather is born and our protective ozone layer resides. This mission promises to shed new light on atmospheric temperatures and trace gases, crucial for everything from aviation safety to tracking the long-range dispersal of volcanic ash and air pollution.
And this is the part most people miss: STRIVE's instruments are incredibly advanced yet compact, fitting into the trunk of a midsize SUV! They're designed to make over 400,000 observations daily. Instead of just looking down, STRIVE instruments angle sideways, capturing the atmosphere with remarkable clarity. "With these observations, we won't just get measurements of ozone but rather all the chemical species that affect ozone in the stratosphere," Jaeglé explained. While the ozone layer is showing signs of recovery, continuous monitoring remains vital.
STRIVE is poised to be a technological and scientific leap, helping us understand how air pollution spreads after events like wildfires or volcanic eruptions. Even more excitingly, it could extend our weather forecasting capabilities beyond the typical 10-day window, giving communities more time to prepare for extreme weather. "If we can see something propagating from high up - such as large shifts in winds - then we will know that several weeks later it will impact Earth's surface," Jaeglé noted. "Our current weather models cannot predict this connection very well because we don't really know what is going on at the interface of the stratosphere and troposphere."
This nationwide effort brings together experts from academia, industry, and federal science labs, with key roles played by Jun Wang from the University of Iowa and Luke Oman from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Several UW faculty members, including Qiang Fu, Alex Turner, and Daehyun Kim, are also integral to the STRIVE team.
Now, let's talk about EDGE: Mapping Our Changing World in 3D
Next up is EDGE, the Earth Dynamics Geodetic Explorer. This mission is all about using lasers to meticulously map the three-dimensional structure of Earth's surface – think forests, glaciers, ice sheets, and sea ice – and track how these features evolve over time. The EDGE team includes luminaries like Benjamin Smith and Tyler Sutterly from the UW Applied Physics Laboratory, and David Shean from UW's civil and environmental engineering department, all working alongside lead Helen Amanda Fricker from Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
EDGE is set to be the first global satellite imaging laser altimeter system. How does it work? By firing laser pulses at Earth and precisely measuring their return time, it captures surface details in high resolution, making over 150,000 measurements every second! This allows for incredibly accurate tracking of surface elevation changes, revealing how ice sheets and glaciers are responding to climate change on both seasonal and long-term scales.
"What's really exciting about EDGE is the level of detail it will measure," said Smith. "Older laser altimetry measurements sample a coarse grid of points on the ground, but with the EDGE data we will be able to see individual trees around Seattle, and small cracks in glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica. Often, it's the fine-scale processes that drive how the large-scale system changes."
While the focus will be on polar regions, forests, and coastlines, Shean emphasized that EDGE is an "everything mission." The precise elevation data gathered will be essential for numerous critical applications, including tracking sea level rise, monitoring natural hazards, managing water resources and forests, and improving wildfire response. This also marks a significant achievement for the University of Washington, solidifying its leadership in not one, but two major NASA Earth Observation missions. "I'm excited to bring students onto the EDGE team and train the next generation of UW researchers who will do amazing things with EDGE data in the coming decades," Shean added.
A Point to Ponder: With such advanced capabilities, these missions promise to provide data that could fundamentally alter our understanding of Earth's systems. But does the sheer volume and detail of data from missions like STRIVE and EDGE pose new challenges for interpretation and application, or is it simply the next logical step in scientific advancement? What are your thoughts on the potential impact of these missions? Share your agreement or disagreement in the comments below!
