Twin CubeSats will improve Earth climate modeling

LAFAYETTE, Colo., June 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- RTX's (NYSE: RTX) small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider, Blue Canyon Technologies, has established communication with both CubeSats for the NASA PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far InfraRed Experiment) mission. The PREFIRE mission will measure the amount of heat Earth emits into space from the Arctic and Antarctica.

Blue Canyon provided two heritage 6U CubeSats for the mission, which is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the agency's Science Mission Directorate. Analysis of PREFIRE's measurements will inform climate and ice models, helping to improve projections of how a warming world will affect sea ice loss, ice sheet melt and sea level rise.

"Improving climate models can provide more accurate projections on the impacts of storm severity and frequency, as well as coastal erosion and flooding," said Chris Winslett, general manager for Blue Canyon Technologies.

The PREFIRE project was jointly developed by NASA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. JPL provided the thermal infrared spectrometer payload, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison will process the data collected by the instruments.

About Blue Canyon Technologies 
Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT), RTX's small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider, offers a diverse portfolio of innovative, reliable, and affordable spacecraft and components that enable a broad range of missions and technological advancements for the new space economy. The company currently supports numerous unique missions with over 100 cumulative spacecraft orders.

About RTX
With more than 185,000 global employees, RTX pushes the limits of technology and science to redefine how we connect and protect our world. Through industry-leading businesses – Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon – we are advancing aviation, engineering integrated defense systems, and developing next-generation technology solutions and manufacturing to help global customers address their most critical challenges. The company, with 2023 sales of $69 billion, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.

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SOURCE RTX