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NASA Launches Small Climate Satellite to Study Earth’s Poles

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2 years ago

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WASHINGTON, May 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The first of a pair of climate satellites designed to study heat emissions at Earth’s poles for NASA is in orbit after lifting off atop Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from the company’s Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand at 7:41 p.m. NZST (3:41 a.m. EDT) on Saturday.

The agency’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission consists of two shoebox-size cube satellites, or CubeSats, that will measure the amount of heat Earth radiates into space from two of the coldest, most remote regions on the planet. Data from the PREFIRE mission will help researchers better predict how Earth’s ice, seas, and weather will change in a warming world.

“NASA’s innovative PREFIRE mission will fill a gap in our understanding of the Earth system – providing our scientists a detailed picture of how Earth’s polar regions influence how much energy our planet absorbs and releases,” said Karen St. Germain, director of NASA’s Earth Science Division in Washington. “This will improve prediction of sea ice loss, ice sheet melt, and sea level rise, creating a better understanding of how our planet’s system will change in the coming years — crucial information to farmers tracking changes in weather and water, fishing fleets working in changing seas, and coastal communities building resilience.”

Ground controllers successfully established communications with the CubeSat at 8:48 EDT. The second PREFIRE CubeSat will set off on its own Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 in the coming days. Following a 30-day checkout period during which engineers and scientists will make sure both CubeSats are working normally, the mission is expected to operate for 10 months.

At the heart of the PREFIRE mission is Earth’s energy budget – the balance between incoming heat energy from the Sun and the outgoing heat given off by the planet. The difference between the two is what determines the planet’s temperature and climate. A lot of the heat radiated from the Arctic and Antarctica is emitted as far-infrared radiation, but there is currently no detailed measurement of this type of energy.

The water vapor content of the atmosphere, along with the presence, structure, and composition of clouds, influences the amount of far-infrared radiation that escapes into space from Earth’s poles. Data collected from PREFIRE will give researchers information on where and when far-infrared energy radiates from the Arctic and Antarctic environments into space.

“The PREFIRE CubeSats may be small, but they’re going to close a big gap in our knowledge about Earth’s energy budget,” said Laurie Leshin, director, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “Their observations will help us understand the fundamentals of Earth’s heat balance, allowing us to better predict how our ice, seas, and weather will change in the face of global warming.”

The mission’s CubeSats each carry an instrument called a thermal infrared spectrometer, which use specially shaped mirrors and sensors to measure infrared wavelengths. Miniaturizing the instruments to fit on CubeSats necessitated downsizing some parts while scaling up other components.

“Our planet is changing quickly, and in places like the Arctic, in ways that people have never experienced before,” said Tristan L’Ecuyer, PREFIRE’s principal investigator, University of Wisconsin, Madison. “NASA’s PREFIRE will give us new measurements of the far-infrared wavelengths being emitted from Earth’s poles, which we can use to improve climate and weather models and help people around the world deal with the consequences of climate change.”

NASA’s Launch Services Program, based out of the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, in partnership with NASA’s Earth System Science Pathfinder Program is providing the launch service as part of the agency’s Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract.

The PREFIRE mission was jointly developed by NASA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. NASA JPL manages the mission for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate and provided the spectrometers. Blue Canyon Technologies built the CubeSats and the University of Wisconsin-Madison will process the data the instruments collect. The launch services provider is Rocket Lab USA Inc. of Long Beach, California.

To learn more about PREFIRE, visit:

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/prefire/

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SOURCE NASA

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Eqvista Launches Company-Sponsored Tender Offers, Expanding Private Market Liquidity Capabilities

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39 minutes ago

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October 19, 2026

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New tender offer capabilities connect equity management with real-time valuation data covering approximately 65,000 private companies with a combined estimated value of $9 trillion, laying the groundwork for future secondary marketplace capabilities.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Eqvista, a leading equity management and valuation platform serving more than 25,000 companies, today announced the launch of company-sponsored tender offer capabilities, enabling private companies to organize structured liquidity events directly within their equity management platform. The launch also marks a step toward Eqvista’s planned secondary marketplace capabilities.

As companies stay private longer, employees and early investors face limited opportunities to sell their shares. Meanwhile, organizing liquidity events involves complex decisions around pricing, participant eligibility, approvals, and ownership changes.

Eqvista brings these processes together through a company-controlled tender offer workflow, supported by its equity management infrastructure and Eqvista Real-Time Company Valuation® technology.

“With Eqvista, private companies can help their employees and early investors turn their shares into cash, rewarding them for their contributions to the company,” said Tomas Milar, Founder and CEO of Eqvista. “We already help companies manage ownership and understand their value. Bringing tender offers into the same platform is a natural next step toward connecting equity management, valuation, and liquidity.”

Company-Controlled Tender Offers

Eqvista’s new capabilities allow companies to manage tender offers while maintaining control over participation, transaction terms, and ownership changes.

Key features include:

Cap table integration: Automatically record completed ownership changes.Participant controls: Define eligible buyers and sellers and offer windows.Allocation rules: Set transaction limits, pro rata allocations, and priorities.Integrated approvals: Manage approval requirements and rights of first refusal.Valuation-informed pricing: Reference Eqvista Real-Time Company Valuation® data when evaluating transaction pricing.

By integrating these processes, Eqvista aims to reduce the administrative complexity of organizing liquidity events while helping companies maintain control over their shareholder base.

Building Toward a Secondary Marketplace

Building on its company-sponsored tender offer capabilities, Eqvista plans to expand into secondary marketplace infrastructure designed to support structured, company-approved liquidity programs. By connecting ownership records, real-time valuation data, and private share transactions within one platform, Eqvista aims to make private market liquidity more accessible while allowing companies to maintain control over participation and ownership changes. Further details will be announced as development progresses, subject to applicable regulatory requirements.

Learn more about Eqvista’s Company-Sponsored Tender Offers.

About Eqvista

Eqvista is an equity management and valuation platform building infrastructure for private markets. Trusted by more than 25,000 companies worldwide, Eqvista combines equity management, in-house valuation expertise, and AI-powered technology to help private companies manage ownership and understand their value. Eqvista Real-Time Company Valuation® technology covers approximately 65,000 U.S. private companies representing an estimated $9 trillion in combined value.

Contact Information
Jakub Vele
Head of Marketing
424978@email4pr.com
+1 (415) 375-4963

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eqvista-launches-company-sponsored-tender-offers-expanding-private-market-liquidity-capabilities-302911472.html

SOURCE Eqvista

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Eqvista Launches Company-Sponsored Tender Offers, Expanding Private Market Liquidity Capabilities

Published

39 minutes ago

on

October 19, 2026

By

New tender offer capabilities connect equity management with real-time valuation data covering approximately 65,000 private companies with a combined estimated value of $9 trillion, laying the groundwork for future secondary marketplace capabilities.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Eqvista, a leading equity management and valuation platform serving more than 25,000 companies, today announced the launch of company-sponsored tender offer capabilities, enabling private companies to organize structured liquidity events directly within their equity management platform. The launch also marks a step toward Eqvista’s planned secondary marketplace capabilities.

As companies stay private longer, employees and early investors face limited opportunities to sell their shares. Meanwhile, organizing liquidity events involves complex decisions around pricing, participant eligibility, approvals, and ownership changes.

Eqvista brings these processes together through a company-controlled tender offer workflow, supported by its equity management infrastructure and Eqvista Real-Time Company Valuation® technology.

“With Eqvista, private companies can help their employees and early investors turn their shares into cash, rewarding them for their contributions to the company,” said Tomas Milar, Founder and CEO of Eqvista. “We already help companies manage ownership and understand their value. Bringing tender offers into the same platform is a natural next step toward connecting equity management, valuation, and liquidity.”

Company-Controlled Tender Offers

Eqvista’s new capabilities allow companies to manage tender offers while maintaining control over participation, transaction terms, and ownership changes.

Key features include:

Cap table integration: Automatically record completed ownership changes.Participant controls: Define eligible buyers and sellers and offer windows.Allocation rules: Set transaction limits, pro rata allocations, and priorities.Integrated approvals: Manage approval requirements and rights of first refusal.Valuation-informed pricing: Reference Eqvista Real-Time Company Valuation® data when evaluating transaction pricing.

By integrating these processes, Eqvista aims to reduce the administrative complexity of organizing liquidity events while helping companies maintain control over their shareholder base.

Building Toward a Secondary Marketplace

Building on its company-sponsored tender offer capabilities, Eqvista plans to expand into secondary marketplace infrastructure designed to support structured, company-approved liquidity programs. By connecting ownership records, real-time valuation data, and private share transactions within one platform, Eqvista aims to make private market liquidity more accessible while allowing companies to maintain control over participation and ownership changes. Further details will be announced as development progresses, subject to applicable regulatory requirements.

Learn more about Eqvista’s Company-Sponsored Tender Offers.

About Eqvista

Eqvista is an equity management and valuation platform building infrastructure for private markets. Trusted by more than 25,000 companies worldwide, Eqvista combines equity management, in-house valuation expertise, and AI-powered technology to help private companies manage ownership and understand their value. Eqvista Real-Time Company Valuation® technology covers approximately 65,000 U.S. private companies representing an estimated $9 trillion in combined value.

Contact Information
Jakub Vele
Head of Marketing
424978@email4pr.com
+1 (415) 375-4963

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eqvista-launches-company-sponsored-tender-offers-expanding-private-market-liquidity-capabilities-302911472.html

SOURCE Eqvista

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Technology

Eqvista Launches Company-Sponsored Tender Offers, Expanding Private Market Liquidity Capabilities

Published

39 minutes ago

on

October 19, 2026

By

New tender offer capabilities connect equity management with real-time valuation data covering approximately 65,000 private companies with a combined estimated value of $9 trillion, laying the groundwork for future secondary marketplace capabilities.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Eqvista, a leading equity management and valuation platform serving more than 25,000 companies, today announced the launch of company-sponsored tender offer capabilities, enabling private companies to organize structured liquidity events directly within their equity management platform. The launch also marks a step toward Eqvista’s planned secondary marketplace capabilities.

As companies stay private longer, employees and early investors face limited opportunities to sell their shares. Meanwhile, organizing liquidity events involves complex decisions around pricing, participant eligibility, approvals, and ownership changes.

Eqvista brings these processes together through a company-controlled tender offer workflow, supported by its equity management infrastructure and Eqvista Real-Time Company Valuation® technology.

“With Eqvista, private companies can help their employees and early investors turn their shares into cash, rewarding them for their contributions to the company,” said Tomas Milar, Founder and CEO of Eqvista. “We already help companies manage ownership and understand their value. Bringing tender offers into the same platform is a natural next step toward connecting equity management, valuation, and liquidity.”

Company-Controlled Tender Offers

Eqvista’s new capabilities allow companies to manage tender offers while maintaining control over participation, transaction terms, and ownership changes.

Key features include:

Cap table integration: Automatically record completed ownership changes.Participant controls: Define eligible buyers and sellers and offer windows.Allocation rules: Set transaction limits, pro rata allocations, and priorities.Integrated approvals: Manage approval requirements and rights of first refusal.Valuation-informed pricing: Reference Eqvista Real-Time Company Valuation® data when evaluating transaction pricing.

By integrating these processes, Eqvista aims to reduce the administrative complexity of organizing liquidity events while helping companies maintain control over their shareholder base.

Building Toward a Secondary Marketplace

Building on its company-sponsored tender offer capabilities, Eqvista plans to expand into secondary marketplace infrastructure designed to support structured, company-approved liquidity programs. By connecting ownership records, real-time valuation data, and private share transactions within one platform, Eqvista aims to make private market liquidity more accessible while allowing companies to maintain control over participation and ownership changes. Further details will be announced as development progresses, subject to applicable regulatory requirements.

Learn more about Eqvista’s Company-Sponsored Tender Offers.

About Eqvista

Eqvista is an equity management and valuation platform building infrastructure for private markets. Trusted by more than 25,000 companies worldwide, Eqvista combines equity management, in-house valuation expertise, and AI-powered technology to help private companies manage ownership and understand their value. Eqvista Real-Time Company Valuation® technology covers approximately 65,000 U.S. private companies representing an estimated $9 trillion in combined value.

Contact Information
Jakub Vele
Head of Marketing
424978@email4pr.com
+1 (415) 375-4963

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eqvista-launches-company-sponsored-tender-offers-expanding-private-market-liquidity-capabilities-302911472.html

SOURCE Eqvista

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