PACE's 2026 fall foliage redness mapping

The events spanned two PACE status periods: 2026-09-29 to 2026-10-04 and 2026-10-05 to 2026-10-11.

During that time, PACE mapped vegetation redness, redness began to fade in New England and upstate New York, spread in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic, and OLI captured intensely red foliage around Ripton, Vermont.

OCI is hyperspectral, has 286 spectral bands and tracks leaf pigments.

PACE is reported to map vegetation redness. It detected high redness in northern and eastern Russia, northern Alaska and northern Canada.

PACE status dates are 2026-09-29 to 2026-10-04 and 2026-10-05 to 2026-10-11.

New England and upstate New York are noted as areas where redness began to fade, while the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic are noted as areas where redness spread.

The Adirondacks in New York, Vermont's Green Mountains and New Hampshire's White Mountains are listed among the reddest areas.

OLI captured an image of intensely red foliage near Ripton, Vermont, on 2026-10-03.

PACE is identified as the first satellite capable of measuring all three key leaf pigments, and it is reported to observe every day or two. Other satellites are described as covering more localized areas and doing so less frequently.

OCI is listed with a broad swath and a short revisit time. Karl Huemmrich is a PACE science team member and a vegetation scientist connected to the Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research II center at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

The facts show OCI providing hyperspectral leaf-pigment tracking, while PACE maps vegetation redness. PACE is listed as the first satellite able to measure all three key leaf pigments, and OCI's broad swath and short revisit time contrast with more localized, less frequent satellite observations.

For readers tracking the lunar industry, the direct link is limited: these facts describe Earth vegetation monitoring, not lunar operations. They still show orbital sensing capabilities, including hyperspectral bands and repeated coverage.