Overview

Part of NASA’s Earth System Science Pathfinder program, Cloud-Aerosol LIDAR and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) is a mission dedicated to studying the impact that clouds and aerosols have on the Earth’s climate. Scientists are using data from CALIPSO to construct three-dimensional models of the atmosphere that improve our ability to predict future climate change.

CALIPSO is part of a constellation of spacecraft called the "A-Train," including Aqua, Aura and PARASOL, dedicated to studying the Earth’s weather and environment. CALIPSO launched with Ball Aerospace-built CloudSat on April 28, 2006 from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Our Role

Ball Aerospace built the LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and wide-field camera instruments, the communications equipment, and integrated the payload for the CALIPSO program.

The LIDAR scans the atmosphere with green and infrared laser light and detects backscatter from clouds and aerosols. The wide-field visible light camera and a three-color infrared imaging radiometer are part of the payload system and record additional information about clouds and aerosols. The payload is aboard the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES’s) Proteus spacecraft built by Alcatel Space Industries.

The Ball Aerospace CALIPSO team also received a group acheivement award from NASA in 2007.