Tanager-1, a satellite featuring cutting-edge NASA technology, was launched successfully on August 16 to track methane and carbon dioxide emissions around the world.
The launch of this innovative satellite marks an important step towards more precise monitoring of these potent greenhouse gases, which are major contributors to global warming.
Once fully operational, Tanager-1, created by the Carbon Mapper coalition, will scan approximately 50,000 square miles (130,000 square kilometers) of the Earth’s surface each day.
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Carbon Mapper is a nonprofit organization focused on tackling climate change using cutting-edge technology. It functions within a cooperative model, engaging both public and private collaborators, such as NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Planet Labs PBC, and various academic and philanthropic institutions.
Tanager-1 was created through a publicly funded collaboration between private entities, spearheaded by Carbon Mapper. This cutting-edge satellite was constructed by Planet Labs PBC, and they intend to deploy a second Tanager satellite in the future, which will feature an imaging spectrometer developed by JPL.
The satellite’s imaging spectrometer captures hundreds of light wavelengths reflected from the Earth’s surface. Various substances in the atmosphere, such as methane and carbon dioxide, absorb specific wavelengths of light, creating distinct spectral “fingerprints” that the imaging spectrometer can detect.
These infrared signatures allow scientists to locate and measure significant greenhouse gas emissions, which could help expedite mitigation strategies.
Read more: Methane Emissions Will Be Detected By New Satellite
Researchers at Carbon Mapper will examine information from Tanager-1 to detect gas emissions that exhibit the distinct spectral characteristics of methane and carbon dioxide and will locate their origins. Data on these plumes will be accessible to the public through the Carbon Mapper data portal.
JPL Director Laurie Leshin commented, “The imaging spectrometer technology aboard Tanager-1 is the product of four decades of development at NASA JPL and truly in a class of its own. The data that this public-private partnership provides on sources of greenhouse gas emissions will be precise and global, making it beneficial to everyone.”
