French Space Agency (CNES) spacecraft that was part of the A-Train from December 2004 when it launched until December 2013 when it ceased operation. Originally designed to be a two-year mission, PARASOL flew within ~30 seconds of the CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites, collecting cloud and aerosol data from Earth’s atmosphere. PARASOL’s general objective was to monitor how clouds and aerosols reflect light and, in turn, affect Earth’s climate.