COLOGNE, Germany - The HALO research aircraft from the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) has successfully completed the first phase of its most challenging mission to date, in terms of flying and science, over Cabo Verde. Since the beginning of August 2024, HALO (the High Altitude and Long Range research aircraft) has been flying close to the equator, measuring how tropical air masses and cloud systems behave at different altitudes, all in sync with the EarthCARE (Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer) Earth observation satellite, DLR reports.
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5 September 2024 - DLR says that "HALO flies precisely beneath the satellite, ensuring that the measurements from both the aircraft and satellite are directly comparable. The instruments on board the research aircraft use the same principles of measurement as the satellite. HALO's data helps to calibrate the instruments on board the satellite, optimising the data evaluation of the EarthCARE mission. The flight team has successfully completed ten 'underflights' since the start of the mission by bringing HALO directly in line with EarthCARE. The first measurement data from the aircraft and satellite are already being analysed."
HALO, a former business jet, has been outfitted with instruments designed for EarthCARE's needs, allowing it to fly at altitudes up to 15.5 kilometers and cover a range of over 8,000 kilometers. With the EarthCARE satellite, HALO monitors phenomena, such as the Intertropical Convergence Zone and its transition zones.
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Jamie Whitney, Senior Editor
Military + Aerospace Electronics
