The French space agency CNES - Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales - is preparing to launch MicroCarb, a satellite mission designed to map sources and sinks of carbon dioxide (CO₂) - the most significant greenhouse gas - on a global scale.
Using a dispersive spectrometer, MicroCarb will measure atmospheric composition data and CO₂ concentrations with high precision, on the order of one part per million, and a spatial resolution of 4.5 × 9 kilometres. These data will support efforts to better understand greenhouse gas fluxes - how CO₂ moves through the Earth system - including how much is absorbed by natural sinks such forests and oceans.
The satellite is built on the latest CNES Myriade platform . Its main instrument was developed by Airbus Defence and Space, and integration was carried out by Thales Alenia Space UK, under a dedicated partnership with the UK Space Agency.
MicroCarb is particularly relevant for the Global Greenhouse Gas Watch (G3W) as it serves as a precursor to the European Union's Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring ( CO2M ) mission. CO2M, a planned constellation of three satellites operated by EUMETSAT, will deliver fast, high-precision measurements of CO₂ and methane emissions from human activities.
Although separate from the Copernicus CO2M mission, MicroCarb will offer valuable early data and act as a complementary mission. Its observations will help build the foundations for a global, long-term system to monitor greenhouse gas emissions and support climate action.
