A Look Back at CALIPSO

Abstract

The CALIPSO mission terminated science operations in the summer of 2023 aftercompleting17 years of on-orbit observations. CALIPSO observations have provided a new perspective on clouds and aerosol and have far exceeded the original objectives of the mission. Many unanticipated findings and data applications were discovered. Flying as part of the A-train constellation stimulated the discovery of numerous retrieval synergies between lidar and other sensors in the A-train. This paper takes a look back at the development of the CALIPSO mission concept and some of the challenges that faced the team.