MicroCarb satellite launches to map global carbon dioxide emissions from space

Written by Copernical Team Thursday, 31 July 2025 09:16

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Paris, France (SPX) Jul 25, 2025

The MicroCarb satellite, developed by the French space agency CNES in partnership with the UK Space Agency, has been successfully launched from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. As Europe's first mission dedicated to monitoring and mapping atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), MicroCarb aims to deliver high-precision measurements to better understand the sources and sinks of this critical

MicroCarb satellite launches to map global carbon dioxide emissions from space
by Erica Marchand
Paris, France (SPX) Jul 25, 2025

The MicroCarb satellite, developed by the French space agency CNES in partnership with the UK Space Agency, has been successfully launched from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. As Europe's first mission dedicated to monitoring and mapping atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), MicroCarb aims to deliver high-precision measurements to better understand the sources and sinks of this critical greenhouse gas.

Co-financed by CNES, the UK Space Agency, the European Commission, and the French government through the Investments for the Future Program (PIA), the mission uses the CNES Myriade platform. Assembly, integration, and testing were completed by Thales Alenia Space at RAL Space in Harwell, UK. The satellite's payload, an infrared spectrometer, was supplied by Airbus Defence and Space.

Operating in low Earth orbit at 650 km altitude, MicroCarb will collect data on CO2 emissions from human activity and absorption by natural reservoirs such as forests and oceans. The mission also serves as a precursor to the EU's Copernicus CO2M constellation, which will consist of three satellites delivering enhanced monitoring of anthropogenic CO2 and methane.

A unique feature of MicroCarb is its urban scanning mode, allowing the satellite to assess CO2 distribution across metropolitan areas, which account for a major share of global emissions. This data will be vital in shaping future climate policies.

"I am immensely proud of the contribution our teams in the UK and France have made to MicroCarb - Europe's pioneering satellite for mapping carbon dioxide on a global scale," said Richard Thorburn, CEO of Thales Alenia Space in the UK. "Huge thanks to CNES and to the UK Space Agency for the trust they have placed in us, enabling Thales Alenia Space to play a key role in advancing Europe's leadership in climate monitoring and environmental science, and helping to protect our planet."