Products
PARASOL Level-1 and Level-2-and-up Data Reprocessing Completion
After 9 years in orbit, the PARASOL mission has gone well beyond the 2-year lifespan expected at the beginning of the mission. PARASOL flew nearly 5 years in formation with other instruments of the A-Train constellation of satellites, providing coincident observations (available at ICARE as well). The good quality of the measurements and innovative inversion […]
Highlights
PARASOL Level-1 and Level-2 data reprocessing underway September 2014
The PARASOL Level-1 data and all atmosphere products are currently being reprocessed from the beginning of the mission onward using revised algorithms. The Level-1 reprocessing, performed by CNES, began in April 2014 and new files are transferred to ICARE for Level-2-and-up products reprocessing. As of September 1, 2014, PARASOL data from March 2005 to mid-2008 […]
Highlights
December 2013: Innovative atmospheric products over 8 years of PARASOL observations
During its life span of 9 years in orbit, the PARASOL mission provided 8 years and 7 months of global aerosol and cloud observations from mid-March 2005 to mid-October 2013 (see also the previous highlight on PARASOL). PARASOL was within the A-Train constellation during nearly 5 years, providing observations coincident with other instruments. The scientific […]
Highlights
December 2013: The PARASOL mission ended after more than 8 years of service
These images are the last taken by PARASOL in natural (left) and polarized light (right) above the Kamchatka Peninsula. The PARASOL mission ended on December 18, 2013, exactly 9 years after it was launched on December 18, 2004. The PARASOL scientific mission started on March 12, 2005 after a 3-month commissioning phase. In December 2009, […]
Highlights
Drift of PARASOL overpass time is accelerating
The Parasol project team informs the scientific community that the overpass time of the PARASOL mission is departing more and more rapidly from its original value (1:30 pm). The mission has gone well beyond its expected duration and the inclination of the spacecraft has not been maintained for years causing the drift to increase rapidly […]
Highlights
PARASOL descend du Train / PARASOL gets off the Train
Après presque 5 ans de mesures simultanées avec les satellites de l’A-Train, le microsatellite PARASOL a quitté sa position au sein de la constellation à 12:48 TU, le 2 décembre 2009. La manoeuvre d’abaissement d’orbite réalisée par les équipes opérationnelles du CNES a permis d’atteindre une orbite à 3.9 km sous l’A-Train. PARASOL avait rejoint […]