Context:- NASA recently announced that it is partnering with the Italian Space Agency ASI (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana) to build and launch the Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols missions (MAIA).
About Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols missions (MAIA):-
- It is a joint mission between NASA and the Italian Space Agency ASI.
- The MAIA observatory is set to launch before the end of 2024.
Aim: to investigate the health impacts of air pollution in the world’s most populated cities.
- It will consist of the PLATiNO-2 satellite, which will be provided by ASI, and a science instrument that will be built at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
- It includes a push broom spectropolarimetric camera on a two-axis gimbal for multi-angle viewing, frequent target revisits, and inflight calibration.
- The observatory, ground-based sensors, and atmospheric models will all be used in the MAIA mission’s data collection and analysis.
- In order to better comprehend the connections that exist between aerosol pollutants and health issues such as adverse birth outcomes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and premature deaths, researchers will combine MAIA measurements with population health records as part of the MAIA investigation.
- During the course of the three-year mission, MAIA will focus on 11 primary target areas that include: Los Angeles, Atlanta, Boston, Rome, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Barcelona, Spain, Beijing, Johannesburg, New Delhi, Taipei, Taiwan; and Tel Aviv.
