CALIPSO

Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations

Mission Profile

CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) is a NASA/CNES Earth observation satellite launched on 28 April 2006 aboard a Delta II as part of the A-Train constellation, designed to measure the vertical distribution of clouds and aerosols in the atmosphere using lidar remote sensing. Its Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) instrument fires laser pulses at 532 and 1064 nm wavelengths and detects backscattered light to profile atmospheric particles from the surface to 40 km altitude. CALIPSO data has advanced understanding of how aerosols and clouds influence Earth's energy budget and climate, providing measurements impossible from passive satellite sensors. After operating for over 17 years, CALIPSO was decommissioned in August 2023 after its fuel was exhausted.