Artist's view of EarthCARE satellite

Artist's view of the EarthCARE satellite. ESA's EarthCARE (Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer) mission - expected to be launched in 2021 - is the largest and most complex Earth Explorer to date, and will advance our understanding of the role that clouds and aerosols play in reflecting incident solar radiation back into space and trapping infrared radiation emitted from Earth's surface. EarthCARE is being developed as a joint venture between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA.