The CAIRT satellite mission is becoming increasingly likely. The European Space Agency (ESA) has now selected the concept, that was coordinated by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), as one of two remaining candidates for an Earth observation mission.
The CAIRT satellite mission is becoming increasingly likely. The European Space Agency (ESA) has now selected the concept, that was coordinated by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), as one of two remaining candidates for an Earth observation mission. The final decision for implementation will be made in 2025.
ESA's decision to further pursue the CAIRT (changing-atmosphere infrared tomography) satellite mission as one of two projects was confirmed by the ESA Programme Board for Earth Observation on Tuesday (21.11.2023). "For us, this means that the mission is now entering Phase A - which makes our plans much more concrete," explains Professor Björn-Martin Sinnhuber from the Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research at KIT, who is coordinating the scientific work. "If ESA ultimately selects our proposal, we should be able to get data in the early 2030s." By then, CAIRT could be launched into orbit as the ESA Earth Explorer 11 satellite. The purpose of the mission is to obtain urgently needed data on changes in the Earth's atmosphere. These data are expected to improve understanding of the links between atmospheric circulation, the exact composition of the atmosphere and regional climate changes.
Read more at: Karlsruher Institute for Technology
The Earth's atmosphere above Timmins, Canada in August 2022, photographed by the GLORIA scientific instrument from a balloon (Photo Credit: KIT)
