4 Earth Science Missions NASA Will Launch in 2022

NASA will be launching 4 big earth science missions for 2022. Last year has been a successful and
notable one in the field of scientific advancement and NASA looks forward to be make 2022 an even
more enlightening year.

Instead of being straight up space missions, these four missions will be operated to study our planet
precisely better and with more scientific resources. The four missions have been named as:

1. TROPICS – to research and track the rapid movement of tropical cyclones.

2. EMIT – to study and research the origin of mineral dust which will play important part in certain
ecological and geological fields.
3. JPSS-2 – to help scientists predict and study extreme weather conditions to prepare better for
such challenges.
4. SWOT – to observe and study oceans and water bodies along with their roles in climate change.

TROPICS

NASA’s TROPICS is a combination of six satellite-oriented microwave observation-based system which

will help researchers track the precipitation, temperature, and humidity of storms as quickly and
precisely as every 50 minutes! This can be a huge advancement of our knowledge and ability to predict
the patterns of storms.

The official launch of the TROPICS satellite is expected to be deployed in pairs and will be completed by
July 31, 2022. This mission is led by Principal Investigator Dr. William Blackwell from MIT’s Lincoln
Laboratory in Lexington. There are researchers from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) and several other universities too.

EMIT

The EMIT or Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation mission is being aimed at the mapping of
dust originates leading to a more accurate and detailed study that will help scientists to understand its
effect. EMIT will be installed in the International Space Station with a year-long mission starting at 2022.

An instrument called an imaging spectrometer will be used by EMIT that measures visible and infrared
light reflecting from Earth’s surfaces below. This data will help understand the distinct light-absorbing
signatures of the minerals in the dust and also to determine their composition.

JPPS
JPPS or Joint Polar Satellite System is going to be a great step-up in the field of weather forecast and the
more accurate prediction of storms and other such challenges. It is going to be vital in taking precise
measurements of temperature and moisture in our atmosphere, beside ocean surface temperatures.

The JPSS-2 satellite is set to be launched in 2022 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. It is
going to be launched using the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. NASA's Launch Services Program
will be operating the whole launch procedure. This satellite can help make great advancements to better
understand and combat weather challenges.

SWOT

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography or SWOT is one of the most amazing initiatives of 2022 to
enhance our knowledge of the oceans and other water bodies through technology. This mission can
actually help researchers to determine the amount of water present in water bodies and better
understand their effect on climate change. This also includes the potential of oceans to absorb the
excess heat and also the green-house gases.

This mission is targeted to be launched around November, 2022. NASA’s Launch Services Program will
be operating the whole launching process. SWOT is going to be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Hopefully, this mission will bring about revolutionary
advancement in the study of the relationship between ocean topography and sea water with climate
change.

These are 4 Earth Science missions that NASA is set to launch in 2022. Which one of these do you think
will be most impactful in the progress of science and research? Let us know in the comments!