Small Spacecraft for Global Greenhouse Gas Monitoring

TL;DR

This paper explores the use of CubeSat technology for global greenhouse gas monitoring, detailing spacecraft design, payload development, and initial measurement results for detecting oxygen and carbon dioxide levels.

Contribution

It introduces a new small spacecraft design with an integrated FTIR spectroradiometer for greenhouse gas remote sensing, demonstrating its potential through long-term measurement results.

Findings

Successful mock-up development of FTIR spectroradiometer for small spacecraft

Long-term greenhouse gas concentration measurements achieved

Design framework for CubeSat-based Earth remote sensing established

Abstract

This work is devoted to the capabilities analysis of constellation and small spacecraft developed using CubeSat technology to solve promising problems of the Earth remote sensing in the area of greenhouse gases emissions. This paper presents the scientific needs for such tasks, followed by descriptions and discussions of the micro-technology application both in the small satellite platform design and in the payload design. The overview of analogical spacecraft is carried out. The design of a new spacecraft for determination the oxygen and carbon dioxide concentration in the air column along the line of sight of the spacecraft when it illuminated by reflected sunlight is introduced. A mock-up of the device was made for greenhouse gases remote sensing a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroradiometer is placed in the small spacecraft design. The results of long-term measurements of greenhouse gas concentrations using the developed Fourier spectrometer mock-up is presented.