earthcareとは 意味・読み方・使い方

EARTHCARE is a planned space mission by the European and Japanese space agencies. In May 2008 ESA signed a contract worth €263 million (£220 million/$360 million) with EADS subsidiary Astrium. As the prime contractor, Astrium is responsible for the satellite’s design, development and integration. Design and construction began in early 2009 while launch is due for 2016 .

EARTHCARE is an acronym standing for EARTH Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer, and the aims of the mission are to improve understanding of the cloud, radiative and aerosol processes that affect the Earth's climate . As of January 2011, the total budget for the project is £500 million (€590 million/$810 million) . A significant proportion of the project will be manufactured in the UK, the main structure of the spacecraft will be built in Astrium's Stevenage facility, while one of the instruments will be made in Guildford by SSTL and another in Frome, Somerset by SEA Group Ltd .