NASA's PACE spacecraft successfully completed docking with the payload adapter and is about to be launched

The PACE spacecraft, a collaboration between NASA and SpaceX, was successfully installed on a payload adapter in Florida, marking an important milestone ahead of launch for the upcoming spacecraft to study Earth's oceans, atmosphere and climate.

NASA's PACE (Plankton, Aerosols, Clouds, Marine Ecosystems) spacecraft orbits above Earth. Image source: NASAGSFC

NASA and SpaceX technicians connect NASA's PACE (Plankton, Aerosols, Clouds, Ocean Ecosystems) spacecraft with a payload adapter at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, January 24, 2024.

Now that PACE is securely affixed to the payload adapter, the team will encapsulate the spacecraft within a payload protective fairing before integrating with the Falcon 9 rocket.

The PACE mission will deepen our understanding of Earth's oceans, atmosphere and climate through hyperspectral observations of tiny marine organisms called phytoplankton, as well as new measurements of clouds and aerosols.

PACE will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida at 1:33 a.m. ET on Tuesday, February 6.

The PACE program is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The agency's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center manages launch services for the PACE mission.