A greenhouse gas detector built by NASA is one step closer to launch. The instrument will allow the nonprofit CarbonMapper to identify and measure the sources of methane and carbon dioxide from space. A state-of-the-art imaging spectrometer that will measure the greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide from space is one step closer to launch this month after arriving at Planet Labs PBC (Planet)'s clean room in San Francisco.
An imaging spectrometer for greenhouse gas emissions developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been delivered to PlanetLabsPBC. The satellite, due to be launched in 2024, will enhance the Carbon Mapper Program's global monitoring capabilities. (Carbon Plotter Satellite Illustration)
The scientific instrument, designed and built at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, will be part of an effort to collect data on point source emissions of greenhouse gases led by the nonprofit CarbonMapper. The Carbon Mapper Imaging Spectrometer, which uses technology developed for NASA airborne activities and space missions, will provide targeted data on "super emitters" - a small number of individual emission sources that account for a large proportion of global methane and carbon dioxide emissions.
The imaging spectrometer will measure the greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide and will go into service at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in August before being shipped to Planet Labs PBC in San Francisco. In the coming months, the instrument will be integrated onto a Tanager satellite. Image source: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Carbon Mapper Alliance is a public-private partnership led by the Carbon Mapper Organization and its partners, including JPL, Planet, California Air Resources Board, Rocky Mountain Institute, Arizona State University and the University of Arizona.
The instrument is an advanced imaging spectrometer that measures hundreds of wavelengths of light reflected from the Earth's surface and absorbed by gases in the Earth's atmosphere. Different compounds - including methane and carbon dioxide - absorb different wavelengths of light, leaving spectral "fingerprints" that can be identified by imaging spectrometers. These infrared fingerprints, invisible to the human eye, could pinpoint and quantify intense greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate potential emissions reduction efforts.
In July, a technician slid the imaging spectrometer into JPL's thermal vacuum test chamber, which will measure methane and carbon dioxide from Earth's orbit. Engineers use the chamber to subject the spectrometer to the extreme temperatures it will encounter in the vacuum of space. Video source: NASA/JPL-Caltech
On September 12, the spectrometer was sent to Planet, with plans to integrate it into the Tanager satellite designed by the company. The work is expected to take several months. Launch is planned for early 2024.
Before leaving JPL, the spectrometer underwent a series of critical tests to ensure it could withstand the rigors of launch and harsh space conditions. Engineers subjected the spectrometer to severe vibrations similar to those experienced when a rocket is launched into orbit, as well as extreme temperatures that would be experienced in the vacuum of space.
Engineers prepare an imaging spectrometer at JPL - part of an effort led by the nonprofit CarbonMapper to monitor greenhouse gas emissions - for vibration testing. Image source: NASA/JPL-Caltech
There will also be an opportunity to test the completed instrument using methane samples in JPL's vacuum chamber. The test was very successful, with the imaging spectrometer producing a clear spectral fingerprint of methane.
Response and future efforts
"We are very pleased to see that the recorded methane spectral signature is of very high quality. This bodes well for upcoming space measurements," said Robert Green, instrument scientist at JPL.
"This delivery is a very exciting step for us as our team can now begin the final stages of satellite integration," said Jeff Guido, Planet's senior director of new missions. "This milestone is a great example of the innovative ways governments, charities and businesses can leverage their respective strengths to build exceptional capabilities with global impact."
This spectral "fingerprint" of methane was made from data collected during testing of JPL's imaging spectrometer. Part of an effort led by the nonprofit Carbon Mapper, the state-of-the-art instrument measured hundreds of wavelengths of light reflected from the Earth's surface and absorbed by gases in the atmosphere. Image source: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The new satellite is part of CarbonMapper's broader efforts to map point source emissions of methane and carbon dioxide around the world. The work includes using measurements provided by instruments already in orbit: NASA's Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT), an imaging spectrometer developed by JPL and installed on the International Space Station. Planet is working with JPL to build a second imaging spectrometer. The two teams will continue to work side by side to deliver these new greenhouse gas measurement capabilities.
An engineer prepares to test an imaging spectrometer in JPL's thermal vacuum chamber. The instrument will be part of an effort led by the nonprofit CarbonMapper to collect data on point source emissions of greenhouse gases. Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech