The Triana mission, led by researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, will collect key information about Earth’s climate system using the first deep-space climate satellite.
With new scientific instruments taking a broad set of measurements, the spacecraft will have a continuous view of the sunlit side of Earth from a vantage point 1.5 million kilometers away (at the L-1 neutral gravity point). This location will afford a view of the entire Earth, rather than a patchwork of regions of interest.
Triana’s measurements of infrared radiation emitted by Earth will be used to monitor global warming and climate variability. Triana will collect information about the climate system by tracking atmospheric dynamics, cloud physics, aerosols, radiation, and surface remote sensing.
Measurements of the solar wind, magnetic fields, and plasma will advance research and provide early warning of solar events that may pose threats to Earth. Solar-wind events will be "seen" by Triana approximately 50 minutes before reaching Earth’s magnetosphere–providing enough time to issue warnings to protect sensitive systems such as orbiting satellites.
Triana’s views of our world will be used as a teaching tool that will inspire the quest for knowledge. Triana team members will support this quest with public and elementary-to-higher education outreach, teacher training, and research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.
When Triana is launched (date undetermined), it will become the first deep-space "climate satellite" and has the potential to prove the unique usefulness of deep-space observation points such as L-1 and L-2 for earth sciences.
The Triana spacecraft and all instruments are built, tested, and calibrated.
Triana is ready to go.