GHG Multi View Airborne Demonstrator
Flagship – 10th Call (Completed 2019)
Lead Organisation: University of Leicester partnered by UK ATC, STFC RAL Space and University of Edinburgh
The TCM concept has matured significantly by virtue of recent CEOI funding, cumulative experience with the Green House gas Observations of the Stratosphere and Troposphere (GHOST) spectrometer, and recent key science innovations associated with aerosol characterization using a multi-view approach. In this project, airborne demonstrations were used to establish the GHOST instrument technology as TRL 6 and raise the SRL of the multi-view spectroscopy of CO2 to SRL 5. Multi-view measurements were achieved from the airborne demonstration by using an existing pointing system combined with a RAL-calibrated, optically upgraded version of GHOST. The TCM mission uses an innovative multi-view approach for accurate CO2 measurements in the tropics.
Mission preparation and technology development of the Tropical Carbon Mission concept
Fast Track – 9th Call (completed 2016)
Lead Organisation: University of Edinburgh partnering University of Leicester & STFC
The Tropical Carbon Mission (TCM) will provide unique observations of CO2 over the tropics with the precision and frequency that are required by scientists and policy makers. TCM will be launched in a low-inclination orbit of 35 degrees, which will precess within tropical latitudes to maximize the frequency and coverage of cloud-free scenes over and downwind of tropical landmasses.
Concept Studies for a Methane Emission Imager
Pathfinder
Lead Organisation: University of Leicester
The project defines a novel concept for measuring atmospheric concentrations of the important greenhouse gas methane (CH4) based on the use of discrete shortwave infrared spectral bands.