# SpaceX Launches EarthCARE Cloud and Aerosol Study Satellite into Orbit
This night, a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX placed the Earth observation satellite EarthCARE of the European Space Agency (ESA) into orbit. The main goal of this satellite is to study clouds and the impact of aerosols on our atmosphere.
Clouds play a significant role, but their behavior is complex, requiring more data. Aerosols also have an important role in the greenhouse effect. These particles – such as dust, sand, ashes from fires or volcanoes, and human pollution – are suspended in the air and clouds.
## A Euro-Japanese Collaboration
EarthCARE is a large 2,200-kilogram satellite equipped with four scientific instruments:
– a radiometer.A radiometer that will measure reflected solar light and emitted heat; a multispectral imager; a Lidar to document the presence of aerosols and measure cloud height; a radar to provide a cross-sectional view of clouds. The radar is provided by the Japanese space agency, a partner in the mission.
EarthCARE is one of the ESA satellites that will provide specific data and enable the scientific community to better understand climate change.
Other missions of this kind will be launched by the end of the decade.