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PACE Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem

Mission Facts

Objective: Advance ocean health assessment by measuring the distribution of phytoplankton, tiny plants, and algae

Launch: February 8, 2024

Type: Orbiter

Our Contributions

SDL provided the following mission activities:

  • Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) Detection Assembly (SDA) build for the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) spectrometer
  • Subsystem development and integration
An illustration of NEO Surveyor.

Exploring Ocean Ecology with PACE

The ocean and atmosphere are closely connected and transfer and move water, nutrients, energy, aerosols, gases, and pollutants. The PACE mission will improve our understanding of ocean health, air quality, and climate change by measuring key variables in the atmosphere and ocean, including those related to cloud formation, aerosols, and phytoplankton.

By improving aerosol characterization, PACE empowers scientists to better quantify aerosol impact on marine biology, ocean chemistry, and Earth’s ecological forecasting and energy. These insights will enhance our ability to identify harmful algal blooms, monitor fisheries, track the carbon cycle, and observe changes in marine resources.

Reflections on the Mission

The PACE OCI program was my first opportunity serving as lead contamination control engineer. After working on PACE from design to delivery, it’s exciting to see the beautiful images and know that our hardware is working so well on orbit.
—Holly Walen, Lead Contamination Control Engineer
PACE has been incredibly impactful on my career. I had the unique opportunity to see a project from design through launch and commissioning. It was an emotional experience to see, firsthand, the years of hard work pay off in a successful launch and mission.
—Zakk Rhodes, Instrument Systems Engineer
Working on OCI was a rewarding experience. I calibrated the SWIR detector assembly and assisted with data processing as it was integrated with the larger instrument. Now, seeing the images collected from PACE OCI and knowing the impact it can have for the science community, it makes the work more than just a job.
—Kenny Squire, Electro-Optical Engineer

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