Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) has won a €10.69m contract from the European Space Agency (ESA) via Dutch Space to provide a Short Wave Infra-Red (SWIR) spectrometer as part of the TROPOMI instrument for the Sentinel 5 Precursor atmospheric monitoring mission. The SWIR spectrometer will be used to measure carbon monoxide (CO) and methane (CH4) – the latter being the second most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas – in the atmosphere. The Sentinel 5 Precursor mission will provide a source of accurate and detailed data following the completion of the European Space Agency’s Envisat Mission. This will allow scientists to continue to study both air quality and climate change until Sentinel 5 is launched in the next decade. Read More