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A new satellite designed to monitor atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) that Leicester scientists played a central role in has been launched.  

By harnessing an algorithm designed by Â鶹ÊÓƵ scientists, we will also be able to directly monitor photosynthesis by Earth’s vegetation, using an indicator known as solar induced fluorescence (SIF).

The , developed in partnership with France’s space agency CNES, will become Europe’s first dedicated carbon dioxide monitoring satellite, marking a major milestone in the global fight against climate change. 

Successfully launched aboard a Vega-C rocket from Kourou, French Guiana on 26 July UK time, MicroCarb will join the international greenhouse gas (GHG) virtual constellation of satellites, significantly enhancing global climate monitoring capabilities. National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO) scientists at the Universities of Leicester and Edinburgh have contributed to the MicroCarb mission design and will use data collected by the satellite instrument and advanced statistical techniques to infer surface sources and sinks of CO2. 

MicroCarb will also observe SIF, seen as a faint glow from plants when they emit a small portion of the sunlight they have absorbed during photosynthesis. The algorithm used by the MicroCarb team to measure SIF was developed at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ by Dr Michael Cartwright and Dr Robert Parker, with credit to former Â鶹ÊÓƵ Professor, Hartmut Boesch.

This signal can be detected from space using spectrometers onboard Earth-orbiting satellites. SIF serves as a valuable method for inferring photosynthetic activity, offering crucial insights into the global carbon cycle. It is also an important indicator of plant health and can support crop monitoring and drought risk assessment.

Dr Michael Cartwright from the Â鶹ÊÓƵ and : “MicroCarb will be the latest generation of crucial CO2 monitoring satellite missions. Bringing many novel characteristics to the table, such as its range of viewing modes, unique overpass time and particularly light-weight design. 

“It comes at a particularly important time as countries prepare for the 2028 global stocktake under the Paris Agreement. In addition, having an additional global solar induced fluorescence dataset will expand our capabilities in quantifying carbon uptake globally and ultimately improve our understanding of the Earth’s biosphere.”

Photosynthesis enables plants to convert sunlight into chemical energy while removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in biomass. Scientists refer to the total amount of carbon captured by plants through this process as Gross Primary Production (GPP) – a quantifiable metric for how much carbon is drawn down from the atmosphere by vegetation. GPP is notoriously challenging to estimate on a global scale.

SIF can act as a way to estimate GPP (a proxy), allowing scientists to estimate carbon uptake using scaling factors that vary depending on vegetation type and environmental conditions, or used in more sophisticated tools, like Land Surface Models.

Scientists from the National Centre for Earth Observation, headquartered at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s science and innovation park Space Park Leicester, have been a central part of delivering the goals of MicroCarb. Professor Paul Palmer, from The National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO) and the University of Edinburgh, is the UK lead for MicroCarb. He will translate the satellite’s COâ‚‚ observations into detailed maps showing carbon absorption and emissions. 

Backed by a £15 million investment from the UK Space Agency, the mission strengthens Britain’s position as a global leader in both climate science and space technology. MicroCarb will orbit 650km above Earth, using revolutionary city-scanning technology to map COâ‚‚ emissions across urban areas at an unprecedented 2km x 2km resolution - a level of detail never before achieved from space. This capability is vital for understanding emissions from cities, which are responsible for over 70% of global COâ‚‚ output. 

UK scientists and industry have played a central role in the development and delivery of the MicroCarb mission. The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) provided the SI-traceable ground calibration facility to test the satellite’s performance before launch. NPL’s Paul Green is also working with the MicroCarb team to develop algorithms and quality metrics to ensure the accuracy of the data. 

Thales Alenia Space in the UK were responsible for preparing MicroCarb for launch and completed the satellite’s assembly, integration, and test activities at the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s RAL Space in Harwell. RAL Space also developed the pointing and calibration system that enables MicroCarb to take precise measurements at specific locations.  

GMV UK, in collaboration with France’s Capgemini, is designing, implementing, and quality-assuring algorithms and operational processors for several of MicroCarb’s COâ‚‚ data products, ensuring robust and reliable data delivery.