Dirk Bernaerts (R), ESA EarthCARE Project Manager, and Eichi Tomita (L), JAXA EarthCARE Project Manager, speak during a press briefing ahead of the EarthCARE satellite launch in Lompoc, California, on May 27, 2024. The EarthCARE satellite will soon blast off on a mission aiming to investigate what role clouds could play in the fight against climate change. The collaboration between the European Space Agency and Japan's JAXA space agency is scheduled to launch May 28 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from California's Vandenberg base. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)