Greenhouse gas-sniffing satellite to be built and tested in Britain

The UK Space Agency has made a deal with Thales Alenia Space to assemble and test a carbon-measuring satellite, the British government announced yesterday.

Thales Alenia Space UK, last seen in The Register building part of the European Aviation Network, will assist with the MicroCarb project, a collaboration between the UKSA and France's Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES), due to launch in 2020 to measure emission and absorption of greenhouse gases.

Before MicroCarb reaches space, it will be built and put through its paces in Harwell, Oxfordshire, the site of a planned £99m National Satellite Test Facility, which should be ready (just in time) for the launch date.

During a visit to Thales Alenia UK in Belfast, science minister Jo Johnson said: "The UK space sector is brimming with talent and our collaboration with France on MicroCarb is an excellent platform to demonstrate our cutting-edge science and engineering."

Thales Alenia UK CEO Ben Olivier emphasised the importance of the project, saying that MicroCarb will be "ultimately helping decision makers to develop the best policies to make the world a better place. We are proud to be a part of this effort." ®