Europe’s first carbon monitoring mission prepares for launch 

Microcarb is a new carbon-monitoring satellite mission led by the French space agency, CNES. The spacecraft is designed to deliver atmospheric composition data to help quantify greenhouse gas fluxes and assess how much carbon dioxide is being released from natural and anthropogenic sources and absorbed by natural sinks such as oceans and forests.

The mission, developed by CNES, involves several partners, including EUMETSAT, which is responsible for operating the satellite's data services, including processing, storage, and distribution of Microcarb data products to operational users, complementing the role of France’s AERIS service for the scientific community. The European Union has funded part of Microcarb’s ground segment development through a Horizon Europe In Orbit Demonstration / In Orbit Validation (IOD/IOV) project.

Towards dedicated carbon dioxide monitoring

Microcarb is a forerunner to the European Union’s Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring (CO2M) mission – a constellation of three satellites that will deliver faster, more precise measurements of carbon dioxide and methane emissions from human activities. Although separate from the Copernicus CO2M mission, which will be operated by EUMETSAT, Microcarb will provide crucial early observations and serve as a complementary mission.

“Microcarb is Europe’s first step toward a dedicated carbon dioxide monitoring system, which will provide independent sources of information to assess policy effectiveness and support decarbonisation efforts,” said Phil Evans, EUMETSAT Director-General.

“For example, by helping distinguish how much carbon is absorbed by natural processes versus how much is released by humans, carbon-monitoring satellites will play a key role in tracking global progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement to limit surface warming.”

The experience gained by specialists from Microcarb’s commissioning and operations will directly support preparations for Copernicus CO2M, helping to streamline its launch and operational phases. Microcarb and Copernicus CO2M will contribute to a growing international network of satellites dedicated to monitoring greenhouse gases, allowing scientists to track how these gases are produced, absorbed, and move through the atmosphere.