Vadim Kholodovsky adjusts a 4-kilogram satellite in a pristine clean room at the Asher Space Research Institute, its solar panels folded like origami—this is the first of a constellation that could transform how we see clouds. Set to launch from California in June 2026, the CloudCT Precursor satellite marks the beginning of a bold mission: to perform 3D computed tomography of clouds from space, much like a medical CT scan reveals the human body. If successful, it will be followed by 10 more satellites in 2027, forming a synchronized formation that promises to unveil the hidden structure of clouds with unprecedented precision.
Clouds are among the greatest wild cards in climate science. While they reflect sunlight and cool the planet, they also trap heat—yet their net effect remains one of the largest uncertainties in climate models. Traditional remote sensing often misses small, scattered clouds or sees them only in two dimensions. The CloudCT mission, led by Prof. Ilan Koren of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Prof. Yoav Schechner of the Technion, and Prof. Klaus Schilling of Zentrum für Telematik, aims to close that gap. After seven years of collaboration between Israeli and German scientists, their work is now published in Acta Astronautica, setting the stage for a new era of atmospheric observation.
The innovation lies in the method: instead of relying on a single satellite, the CloudCT network will use multiple nanosatellites flying in formation, each equipped with a custom-designed camera sensitive to polarized light—a property invisible to the human eye but rich with information about cloud droplets. By capturing simultaneous images from different angles, the satellites will reconstruct the 3D structure of clouds, including their internal droplet size and density. "Optical CT of clouds requires simultaneous views from space using a specialized camera," says Prof. Schechner. "The camera was designed specifically for CloudCT, and we will test it during the upcoming precursor mission."
The technological challenge is immense. Each 4 kg nanosatellite must autonomously orient itself with extreme precision toward target clouds—a feat likened by Prof. Schilling to "threading a needle in orbit." The team has developed advanced AI algorithms to coordinate the formation and validate the retrieved cloud data, ensuring reliability in the measurements.
If the precursor mission succeeds, the full constellation could dramatically improve climate models by providing real-time, high-resolution data on cloud microphysics. This isn’t just about sharper images—it’s about better predictions of rainfall, storm intensity, and long-term climate trends. As the world grapples with a changing climate, the ability to see clouds in three dimensions may prove to be one of the most powerful tools yet for understanding our planet’s future.