NASA JPL Develops CloudCube: Miniaturized Radar for Advanced Cloud Study
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has developed CloudCube, a compact, multifrequency radar designed to enhance data collection on dynamic cloud systems. This innovative instrument simultaneously probes the atmosphere using three radar signals across 36 to 240 GHz, optimizing its sensitivity to various water droplet and ice particle sizes. CloudCube aims to improve understanding of precipitation initiation, cloud microphysics, and radiative properties, which can lead to better weather forecasts and climate modeling.
A compact, multifrequency radar system named CloudCube has been developed by a team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to facilitate the collection of information about dynamic cloud systems. The instrument is designed to simultaneously probe the atmosphere with three radar signals, spanning 36 to 240 GHz. This capability ensures optimized sensitivity across a wide range of water droplet and ice particle sizes.
CloudCube transmits and receives Ka-, W-, and G-band signals, marking it as the first compact radar system capable of simultaneously probing meteorological targets at wavelengths from approximately one to ten millimeters. This multi-frequency approach allows researchers to combine information from the signals to learn more about the initiation and evolution of precipitation, as well as cloud microphysics and radiative properties.
Each of CloudCube’s three signals contributes to observing different elements of cloud physics. Ka-band radar signals are suitable for collecting precipitation profiles, while W-band radar signals are preferred for measuring cloud particles that lead to precipitation. G-band radar signals, which have not been previously collected from a space-based instrument, are designed for measuring ice and liquid water content within very light clouds.
Raquel Rodriguez Monje, a systems engineer at JPL and principal investigator for CloudCube, noted that the instrument is designed for low power and mass to facilitate cost-efficient missions for atmospheric observations, highlighting the novelty of a multi-frequency G-band radar. Matt Lebsock, a researcher at JPL and co-investigator for CloudCube, stated that the instrument enables the measurement of cloud weight through combinations of frequencies in a new way, particularly with the G-band.
CloudCube incorporates innovations in millimeter-wave hardware, allowing it to house three radar modules—one for each signal—within a single compact system. It achieves high transmit power for detecting cloud signals by combining outputs from multiple high-efficiency frequency-multiplication devices, generating hundreds of milliWatts at 240 GHz. The instrument was also designed to minimize radio frequency components, reducing its mass and power consumption, which could lower the cost of future Earth-observing orbital instruments.
The instrument has undergone field testing. A ground-based prototype of CloudCube’s G-band channel operated for 11 months during the Department of Energy’s Cloud and Precipitation Experiment at Kennaook (CAPE-K) campaign. CloudCube also participated in the Eastern Pacific Cloud Aerosol Precipitation Experiment, another ground campaign sponsored by the Department of Energy.
According to NASA Breaking News, flying an instrument equipped with G-band radar in space would introduce a new capability, enabling researchers to achieve greater spatial resolution and sensitivity in the study of cloud microphysical processes.
