Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
AMT
Articles | Volume 19, issue 19
Articles | Volume 19, issue 19
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-6229-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-6229-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 19, issue 19
Research article
 | 
02 Oct 2026
Research article |  | 02 Oct 2026

From opportunity to continuity: a CubeSat implementation to enhance Earth's radiation budget observations from space

McKenzie A. Hawkins, Matthew Watwood, Mathew van den Heever, Peter Pilewskie, and Dave Harber

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Cited articles

Barkstrom, B. R. and Smith, G. L.: The Earth Radiation Budget Experiment: Science and implementation, Rev. Geophys., 24, 379–390, https://doi.org/10.1029/RG024i002p00379, 1986. 
Berk, A., Conforti, P., Kennett, R., Perkins, T., Hawes, F., and van den Bosch, J.: MODTRAN® 6: a major upgrade of the MODTRAN® radiative transfer code, in: Proceedings of the 6th Workshop on Hyperspectral Image and Signal Processing: Evolution in Remote Sensing (WHISPERS), Lusaanne, Switzerland, 24–27 June 2014, https://doi.org/10.1109/WHISPERS.2014.8077573, 2014. 
NASA Langley Research Center: CERES surface type IDs, https://ceres.larc.nasa.gov/data/general-product-info/#ceres-surface-type-ids, last access: 27 May 2025. 
Clerbaux, N., Akkermans, T., Baudrez, E., Velazquez Blazquez, A., Moutier, W., Moreels, J., and Aebi, C. The Climate Monitoring SAF outgoing longwave radiation from AVHRR, Remote Sens., 12, 929, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12060929, 2020. 
Coddington, O., Harber, D., Pilewskie, P., Richard, E., and Patton, T.: Analysis of the long-term stability of TSI instruments using Allan deviation and the generation of a new TSI composite, Earth Space Sci., 12, e2025EA004373, https://doi.org/10.1029/2025EA004373, 2025a. 
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Continuous monitoring of Earth's energy balance from space is essential for understanding climate change. Beyond the next planned mission, continuity of these observations remains uncertain. Earth-viewing observations from a CubeSat designed to observe the Sun were compared to established Earth-observing instruments, showing close agreement. Results suggest CubeSats could reduce the risk of gaps in long-term records and that solar-monitoring instruments could be designed to observe Earth, too.
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