NASA announces launch service for Arctic warming experiment

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has selected Rocket Lab USA Inc., an aerospace manufacturer and launch service provider based in California, to provide the launch service for the agency's PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission, reported Xinhua.

The mission aims to give researchers a more accurate picture of the energy entering and leaving Earth, NASA said in a release on Monday.

The PREFIRE mission will help close a gap in understanding of how much of Earth's heat is lost to space, especially from the Arctic and Antarctica.

Analysis of PREFIRE measurements will inform climate and ice models, providing better projections of how a warming world will affect sea ice loss, ice sheet melt, and sea level rise, according to NASA.