NASA Sets Coverage for Ocean, Atmosphere, Climate Mission

Editor’s note: This advisory was updated on Jan. 31, 2024, to update participant names in the science briefing.

NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for its upcoming mission to study how our oceans and atmosphere interact in a changing climate.

Launch of the PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission is targeted for 1:33 a.m. EST, Tuesday, Feb. 6, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Once in orbit above Earth, PACE will shed light on the impact of tiny things – microscopic life in water and microscopic particles in the air.

Live launch coverage will begin at 12:45 a.m., Feb. 6, on NASA+, NASA Television, and the agency’s website. Full coverage of this mission including prelaunch activities is as follows (all times Eastern):

Sunday, Feb. 4

9:15 a.m. – NASA Social Panel livestream at NASA Kennedy. Watch live on YouTube, Facebook and X social media channels with the following NASA participants answering #AskNASA questions:

• Karen St. Germain, director, Earth Science Division
• Marjorie Haskell, PACE program executive
• Laura Lorenzoni, PACE program scientist
• Ivona Cetinic, PACE ocean scientist
• Juli Lander, PACE deputy project manager

11 a.m. – PACE Science Briefing on NASA+ with the following agency participants:

• Kate Calvin, chief scientist and senior climate advisor
• Karen St. Germain, director, Earth Science Division
• Jeremy Werdell, PACE project scientist
• Andy Sayer, atmospheric scientist, Sciences and Exploration Directorate
• Natasha Sadoff, Satellite Needs Program Manager

Media may request the news conference dial-in number and passcode by contacting the Kennedy newsroom no later than 4 p.m., Friday, Feb. 2, at ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov. Members of the public also may ask questions, which may be answered in real time during the segment, by using #AskNASA on social media. On-site media may attend the briefing in person or via telephone.

12 p.m. – Immediately after the science briefing, the following NASA subject matter experts will be available for one-on-one media interviews at the Kennedy News Center on a first come, first-served basis.

• Nicola Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate
• Karen St. Germain, director, Earth Science Division
• Kate Calvin, chief scientist and senior climate advisor
• Jeremy Werdell, PACE project scientist
• Andy Sayer, atmospheric scientist, Sciences and Exploration Directorate
• Erin Urquhart, program manager, Water Resources Application Area
• Mark Voyton, PACE project manager
• Juli Lander, PACE deputy project manager
• Gary Davis, PACE mission systems engineer

Monday, Feb. 5

8 a.m. – NASA EDGE will host the PACE rollout show. The rollout show will air live on NASA+, NASA TV, and YouTube.

9 a.m. – PACE Prelaunch News Conference on NASA+ and NASA TV with the following participants:

• NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
• Karen St. Germain, director, Earth Science Division, NASA
• Tim Dunn, senior launch director, Launch Services Program, NASA
• Julianna Scheiman, director, Civil Satellite Missions, SpaceX
• Brian Cizek, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, U.S. Space Force

Media may request the news conference dial-in number and passcode by contacting the Kennedy newsroom no later than 4 p.m., Friday, Feb. 2, at ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov. Members of the public also may ask questions by using #AskNASA on social media. On-site media may attend the briefing in person or via telephone.

Tuesday, Feb. 6

12:45 a.m. – Technical feed begins on NASA TV media channel.

12:45 a.m. – Live launch coverage will begin on NASA+ and NASA TV public channel.

For NASA TV downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit:

https://nasa.gov/nasatv

The deadline has passed for media accreditation for in-person coverage of this launch. The agency’s media accreditation policy is available online. More information about media accreditation is available by emailing: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. For all other questions, contact the newsroom at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 321-867-2468.

NASA Website Launch Coverage

Launch day coverage of NASA’s PACE mission will be available on the agency’s website. Coverage will include blog updates as well. Streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. Images of PACE’s processing and launch are available in this album.

Follow mission coverage on the PACE launch blog at:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/pace/

Audio Only Coverage

Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, or -7135. On launch day, “mission audio,” countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135. A “tech feed” of the launch without NASA TV commentary will be carried on the NASA TV media channel.

Attend Launch Virtually

Members of the public can register to attend the PACE launch virtually. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following a successful launch.

Watch, Engage Online

Let people know you’re following NASA’s PACE mission. On Facebook, Instagram, and X, use the hashtag #KeepingPACE and #AskNASA. You also can stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:

Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, NASAGoddard, NASAEarth, NASALSP

Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASAEarth

X: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @NASAGoddard, @NASAEarth, @NASA_LSP

The PACE project is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The agency’s Launch Services Program, based at NASA Kennedy, is responsible for managing the launch service for the PACE mission.

For more information about PACE, visit:

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/pace/

-end-

Karen Fox
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov

Jake Richmond
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
240-713-1618
jacob.a.richmond@nasa.gov

Laura Aguiar
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-593-6245
laura.aguiar@nasa.gov