
The Center for Astrophysics (CfA) | Harvard & Smithsonian, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) are jointly hosting a summer science team meeting to enable communication and collaboration on products and applications of the TEMPO and GeoXO ACX space-based atmospheric composition monitoring instruments. The theme of the meeting is “building pathways from TEMPO to GeoXO ACX.” The meeting is scheduled for August 19-22, 2025, at CfA in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) mission observes air quality over North America with more detail than ever before by providing a revolutionary new dataset of atmospheric composition measurements from space. TEMPO, launched in April 2023, is the first space-based instrument to measure air quality across the North American continent every daylight hour at high spatial resolution. TEMPO is a collaboration between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and NASA.
NOAA plans to include an Atmospheric Composition instrument (ACX) that observes atmospheric composition as part of the upcoming GeoXO satellite system. ACX is a hyperspectral spectrometer that will measure a wide spectrum of light from ultraviolet to visible, building on TEMPO’s heritage. ACX will provide hourly observations of air pollutants once the first ACX is in orbit in ~2035. The ACX instrument will fly on the GeoXO-Central platform, likely to be positioned at 105º longitude rendering measurements with good viewing angles of the CONUS.
TEMPO is part of the Geo-Ring for air quality, which also includes the South Korean instrument Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) measuring over Asia (launched 2020, with GEMS-2 launch in ~2031), and the upcoming European Space Agency’s Sentinel-4 mission (1st launch in 2025 and 2nd in ~2034) which will cover Europe. ACX will follow TEMPO as part of this air quality Geo-Ring.
Anyone who wishes to participate in the TEMPO/GeoXO ACX meeting must register in advance for either in-person or online attendance at this meeting.
Please note that when registering for the meeting you must agree to the CfA Meeting & Events Conduct Policy posted at the bottom of this page.
NASA participants: Do not enter this meeting into NCTS (NASA Conference Tracking System). See footnote for more detail.
Meeting registration is closed. Registered attendees may share the online meeting link and Conduct Policy with colleagues who wish to join online. Due to space limitations onsite registration will not be available.
CfA Meetings & Events Conduct Policy
CfA-Meeting-Conduct-PolicyAll workshop sessions will be held at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, 60 Garden St, Cambridge, MA 02138.
Our agenda will follow the draft overview below, though final meeting times may vary slightly from this outline. A detailed agenda is embedded below or can be viewed at this link.
TEMPO-ACX_JSTW_AgendaOverview_20250813TEMPO-ACX_JSTW_Agenda_20250819Hands-on Google Colab Python tutorials for TEMPO aerosol products (Amy Huff)
TEMPO Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and Aerosol Layer Height (ALH) Product Data Tutorial
Access this Python tutorial file then click on the small blue and orange “Open in Colab” button
TEMPO-ABI Estimated Surface PM2.5 Product Data Tutorial
Access this Python tutorial file then click on the small blue and orange “Open in Colab” button
Call for contributions on Concepts for HAMAQ deployment sites: Science flights under TEMPO will be conducted in 2028 as part of the Hemispheric Airborne Measurements of Air Quality (HAMAQ) project. Selected as part of NASA’s Earth Venture Suborbital-4 program, HAMAQ will conduct flights in Mexico City and a second site in North America still to be determined. A special session at the 2025 Joint TEMPO/ACX Science Team Meeting will be convened to discuss candidate sites for the second deployment. Of particular interest are locations where both air quality challenges and TEMPO performance issues converge. If your TEMPO research activities point to a destination in need of investigation, please consider contributing a talk or poster. At a minimum, these presentations should include: (1) science questions specific to the region, (2) existing measurements that could be leveraged (e.g., local monitoring network, research stations, etc.), and (3) local partners/stakeholders that would be interested in participating. Your input will be used to fuel discussion and enable a decision on the second deployment site that reflects careful consideration of community input. For more details on HAMAQ, please visit https://science.larc.nasa.gov/HAMAQ/?doing_wp_cron=1738703027.9914069175720214843750
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Page updated August 18, 2025
All workshop sessions will be held at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, 60 Garden St, Cambridge, MA 02138. Daily sessions will begin in the Lower Library. Registration will be in the Upper Library. Breakout sessions and side meetings are scheduled in the Pratt Room and Phillips Auditorium. Please see the Agenda tab for room assignments for each session. Lunch is on your own; scroll down for a list of nearby restaurants.
You may open the direction file below in a new tab using this link.
Directions-parkingYou may open the restaurants file below in a new tab using this link.
restaurantsA limited number of discounted guestrooms are available at the several nearby hotels. Please use the links below to make your group rate hotel reservations asap. Note the reservation terms, booking, and cancellation deadlines for each hotel.
If your plans change and you can no longer attend, please cancel right away so that someone else from the group will be able to book your room.
Freepoint Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, 220 Alewife Brook Pkwy, Cambridge, MA 02138 (Approximately 1 mile from CfA)
- Group rate for Deluxe King rooms is $229 for single or double occupancy.
- Group rate for Deluxe Queen rooms (2 beds) is $249 for single or double occupancy.
- Breakfast is available for no additional cost
- On-site parking is $25 per night.
- Reservation deadline extended to July 11.
- Reservations may be cancelled without penalty until 7 days prior to arrival.
- No show, late cancellation or early departure will be charged one night’s room and tax.
- For phone reservations, please call +1-617-491-8000 and mention the group name “TEMPO GeoXO ACX Team” to receive the discounted rates.
Homewood Suites by Hilton Boston/Cambridge – Arlington, 1 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA 02474 (Approximately 2 miles from CfA)
- Group rate for Queen Studio Suite is $219 for single or double occupancy.
- Free hot breakfast.
- Complimentary self parking.
- Reservation deadline is July 18.
- Reservations may be cancelled without penalty until 72 hours prior to arrival.
- No show, late cancellation or early departure will be charged one night’s room and tax.
- For phone reservations, please call +1-781-643-7258 and mention the group name “TEMPO / Geo ACX Joint Science Team Meeting” to receive the discounted rate.
AC Hotel by Marriott Boston Cambridge, 10 Acorn Park Drive, Cambridge, MA 02140 (Approximately 2 miles from CfA)
- Group rate for standard rooms is $239 for single or double occupancy.
- Buffet breakfast is available for $21.
- On-site parking is $30 per night.
- Reservation deadline extended to July 25.
- Reservations may be cancelled without penalty until 72 hours prior to arrival.
- No show, late cancellation or early departure will be charged one night’s room and tax.
- For phone reservations, please call +1-617-876-6190 and mention the group name “TEMPO GeoXO ACX Team” to receive the discounted rates.
Please refresh your browser to ensure you see the latest content. Page updated July 17, 2025.
The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) offers directions to 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 from various points of origin. For information about onsite parking please see the Venue tab.
Extensive public transportation is available in and around Boston and nearby Cambridge via bus and rail operated by the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority), known as the “T.”
Amtrak offers fast Acela rail service between Washington and Boston as well as additional trains serving the northeast corridor and regions beyond. Check out routes and plan your trip on the Amtrak website. Travel to either Boston South Station (about 6.5 miles from the CfA – take T Red Line to Harvard), or Boston Back Bay station (about 5 miles from the CfA – take T Orange Line to T Red Line to Harvard).
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) is served by a wide variety of airlines and is about 10 miles from the CfA. Visit the T’s Logan Airport page and Logan Airport’s public transportation page for detailed information about catching a bus or subway from the airport to Harvard Square (1/2 mile from CfA) as outlined below.
- A free SL1 Silver Line bus picks up at every Logan Airport terminal; ride to South Station. At South Station change to the T Red Line subway train (direction Alewife) to Harvard (6 stops). Purchase T tickets at South Station.
- A free Massport on-airport shuttle provides service to the MBTA Blue Line airport subway station; this is the same shuttle system that serves the rental car center and water transportation dock. Take the Blue Line (direction Bowdoin) to State (3 stops). From there, follow signs to the Red Line (direction Alewife) / Downtown Crossing station; travel to Harvard (5 stops). Purchase tickets from machines at the airport MBTA station.
NASA participants: Forecasting/tracking this meeting is not required; do not enter this meeting into NCTS (NASA Conference Tracking System). This is a formal operational meeting with attendance limited to active project participants including PIs, CoIs, grad students and post docs, as well as invited speakers and community members.
Contact
If you have questions about meeting logistics you may contact TG-meeting-support@espo.nasa.gov