What is MAIA Satellite? Top 10 Facts about NASA's New Project

By Srikanto Mandal 9 March, 2023

NASA and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) have partnered to develop a satellite called the Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA).

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The mission aims to analyze the impact of airborne particle pollution on human health by collecting and processing data from the observatory, ground sensors, and atmospheric models

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Epidemiologists and public health researchers have been directly involved in the development of the MAIA mission.

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MAIA will focus on 11 primary target areas that cover major urban centers around the world, including Los Angeles, Atlanta ....

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and Boston in the United States; Rome; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Barcelona, Spain; Beijing; Johannesburg; New Delhi; Taipei, Taiwan; and Tel Aviv, Israel.

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Airborne particle pollution has been linked to respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and adverse reproductive and birth outcomes.

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The MAIA mission's main objective is to study whether exposures to different types of particle pollution have differing health impacts.

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Over the course of its three-year mission, MAIA will also collect data on short-term exposure to particulate pollution, chronic exposure, and sub-chronic exposure.

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MAIA's measurements of sunlight reflecting off airborne particles will help researchers determine the abundance, size, and optical properties of certain pollutants in the atmosphere.

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The MAIA observatory will consist of a satellite provided by ASI and a science instrument built at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

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The MAIA mission is set to launch before the end of 2024 and continues decades of collaboration between NASA and ASI, including on the Cassini mission to Saturn.

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