A nanosatellite developed as part of the international CloudCT research project has been built, tested, and is now ready for launch from California this coming June.
The mission marks a major milestone in climate research and in the development of advanced space-based sensing technologies.
CloudCT is a long-term Israeli-German collaboration involving the Weizmann Institute of Science, the Technion, and the Center for Telematics in Germany. The project is supported by the European Union’s prestigious ERC Synergy Grant and brings together expertise in climate science, computational imaging, artificial intelligence, and small-satellite technology.
At the Technion, the project is led by Prof. Yoav Schechner of the Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, a leading expert in computational imaging. The research team is developing a radically new method for observing clouds in three dimensions, inspired by the principles of medical CT imaging.
Rather than relying on conventional remote sensing approaches, CloudCT uses simultaneous imaging of clouds from multiple viewpoints in space. Its specially developed camera is sensitive to light polarization – a property invisible to the human eye that nevertheless carries valuable information about the microphysical structure of clouds, including cloud droplets. Combined with AI-based reconstruction methods, this technology is expected to provide an unprecedented three-dimensional view of cloud interiors.
Beyond its scientific promise, the mission also represents a significant engineering achievement. The miniature satellite, weighing only about four kilograms, must autonomously identify relevant cloud fields and orient itself toward them in orbit. This upcoming launch is intended to validate the sensing technology in space and serve as a pathfinder for a future constellation of additional satellites.
If successful, the mission could open a new chapter in climate research by enabling more accurate observations of clouds – one of the major sources of uncertainty in long-term climate models and predictions.
This achievement highlights the Technion’s contribution to pioneering research at the intersection of engineering, environmental science, and space technology.
Article (Hebrew)
