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PolSIR is the latest Earth Venture Instrument class missions to addresses key research priorities related to uncertainties in our current understanding in ice clouds. The PolSIR mission consists of two 16U CubeSats, each equipped with a cross-track scanning polarized submillimeter radiometer near 325 and 684 GHz. The two PolSIR satellites fly in separate, 52-degree inclination, non-sun-synchronous orbits, to measure the diurnal variation of cloud ice and its microphysical properties on a monthly basis in the tropics and sub-tropics.
The mission is PI-led by Vanderbilt University. NASA Goddard will provide the project management team that builds the two instruments, while science operations will be conducted by the Space Science and Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin. The two spacecraft will be built by Blue Canyon Technologies. Launch of the two satellites is currently anticipated for late 2027.
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