NASA’s Aura Satellite Approaches End of Monitoring Era for Ozone Layer

NASA’s Aura satellite has been one of the most important instruments for monitoring pollution in Earth’s atmosphere since its launch in 2004. Unfortunately, it will cease operation by mid-2026, as its solar panels can no longer produce the power necessary to keep it functioning. Scientists and environmentalists are up in arms about this move. Aura’s unique capabilities have been invaluable in tracking substances that deplete the ozone layer.

Aura has provided irreplaceable data for almost 20 years. This wealth of information has significantly improved our understanding of our changing atmosphere and the efficacy of global treaties aimed at conserving the ozone layer. Without Aura, the scientific community has enormous hurdles in being able to sustain this important work.

The satellite is nearing the point of no return, beyond which researchers will be unable to obtain vital real-time data. This data is critical to the study of how various compounds, such as greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting chemicals, affect the ozone layer. David Fahey, a senior scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), highlighted the significance of this gap: “We’re going to lose that vigilance factor.”

Aura’s monitoring capabilities are fundamental to our understanding of the climate system. More broadly, scientists want to know what large-scale injections of stratospheric aerosols—just one method for geoengineering some climate change advocates propose—would do. Without Aura’s data, monitoring the effects of these kinds of interventions on the ozone layer is proving more and more difficult.

To prepare for Aura’s eventual retirement, NASA and the European Space Agency are planning successor missions. Two potential successors are under discussion: the Stratosphere Troposphere Response using Infrared Vertically-resolved light Explorer (STRIVE) and the Changing-Atmosphere Infra-Red Tomography Explorer (CAIRT). Both missions promise to deliver better resolution and more coverage than Aura.