Part of an effort led by the nonprofit Carbon Mapper, the advanced instrument procedures hundreds of wavelengths of light shown by Earths surface and absorbed by gases in the atmosphere. The new satellite is part of a more comprehensive effort by Carbon Mapper to survey the globe for point-source emissions of methane and carbon dioxide. The instrument will be part of an effort led by the not-for-profit Carbon Mapper company to collect data on greenhouse gas point-source emissions. Carbon Mapper is a not-for-profit company focused on facilitating timely action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The company is leading the development of the Carbon Mapper constellation of satellites supported by a public-private partnership composed of Planet Labs PBC, JPL, the California Air Resources Board, the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and RMI, with financing from High Tide Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, and other philanthropic donors.
Set for a 2024 launch, it will enhance the Carbon Mapper initiatives worldwide tracking abilities. Credit: Carbon Mapper
NASA-Built Greenhouse Gas Detector Moves Closer to Launch
The instrument will allow the nonprofit company Carbon Mapper to determine and identify methane and co2 sources from space.
A modern imaging spectrometer, which will determine the greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide from area, moved better to introduce this month after being provided to a clean space at Planet Labs PBC (Planet) in San Francisco.
Designed and built by NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, this science instrument will belong to an effort led by the nonprofit Carbon Mapper organization to gather information on greenhouse gas point-source emissions. Constructed around innovations established for NASA air-borne campaigns and space missions, the Carbon Mapper imaging spectrometer will provide targeted data on “super-emitters”– the small percentage of individual sources accountable for a significant portion of worldwide methane and co2 emissions.
The imaging spectrometer, which will measure the greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide, sits at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in August, before shipment to Planet Labs PBC in San Francisco. The instrument will be incorporated into a Tanager satellite over the next few months. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Carbon Mapper Coalition and Functionality
The Carbon Mapper coalition is a public-private effort led by the Carbon Mapper company and its partners, consisting of JPL, Planet, the California Air Resources Board, Rocky Mountain Institute, Arizona State University, and the University of Arizona.
The instrument is an advanced imaging spectrometer that determines numerous wavelengths of light reflected by the Earths surface area and absorbed by gases in the planets environment. Different compounds– consisting of methane and carbon dioxide– take in various wavelengths of light, leaving a spectral “fingerprint” that the imaging spectrometer can recognize. These infrared finger prints, invisible to the human eye, can pinpoint and measure strong greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate potential mitigation efforts.
A professional moves the imaging spectrometer, which will measure methane and co2 from Earth orbit, into a thermal vacuum test chamber at JPL in July. Engineers use the chamber to subject the spectrometer to the severe temperatures it will experience in the vacuum of space. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Instrument Integration and Testing
On September 12, the spectrometer was provided to Planet, where it is slated for integration into a Tanager satellite developed by the business. This is expected to take the next few months. The launch is set up for early 2024.
Prior to its departure from JPL, the spectrometer was executed a series of crucial tests to ensure that it could withstand the rigors of launch and the severe conditions of area. Engineers subjected the spectrometer to extreme vibrations similar to what it will endure atop a rocket blasting into orbit, as well as to the extreme temperatures it will experience in the vacuum of area.
Engineers prepare the imaging spectrometer– part of an effort led by the not-for-profit Carbon Mapper to keep an eye on greenhouse gas emissions– for vibration screening at JPL. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
There was also a chance to use a sample of methane to check the finished instrument while it was in a vacuum chamber at JPL. The test succeeded, with the imaging spectrometer producing a clear spectral finger print of methane.
Responses and Future Endeavors
” We are thrilled to see the extraordinary quality of the methane spectral signature tape-recorded. This bodes well for the space measurement quickly to follow,” stated Robert Green, the instrument researcher at JPL.
” This delivery is a really exciting action for us as our team can now begin the final phase in satellite combination,” said Jeff Guido, senior director of new missions at Planet. “This turning point is an outstanding example of the ingenious manner ins which market, government, and philanthropy can play to each others strengths to develop extraordinary ability that has the capacity for global impact.”
This spectral “finger print” of methane was produced from data taken during a test of the imaging spectrometer at JPL. Part of an effort led by the not-for-profit Carbon Mapper, the advanced instrument procedures hundreds of wavelengths of light reflected by Earths surface area and soaked up by gases in the atmosphere. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The brand-new satellite is part of a broader effort by Carbon Mapper to survey the world for point-source emissions of methane and co2. That effort includes utilizing measurements provided by an instrument currently in orbit: NASAs Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation, or EMIT, an imaging spectrometer established by JPL and installed on the International Space Station. A second imaging spectrometer is being built by Planet in cooperation with JPL. The groups will continue working side by side to deliver these new greenhouse gas measurement capabilities.
An engineer prepares the imaging spectrometer instrument for screening in a thermal vacuum chamber at JPL. The instrument will belong to an effort led by the nonprofit Carbon Mapper organization to gather data on greenhouse gas point-source emissions. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
More About the Project
Carbon Mapper is a not-for-profit company focused on helping with prompt action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Its objective is to fill gaps in the emerging worldwide ecosystem of methane and carbon dioxide monitoring systems by providing data at center scale that is exact, prompt, and accessible to empower science-based decision-making and action. The organization is leading the advancement of the Carbon Mapper constellation of satellites supported by a public-private partnership composed of Planet Labs PBC, JPL, the California Air Resources Board, the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and RMI, with funding from High Tide Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, and other humanitarian donors.