GHG monitoring from microsatellite using compact micro-LiDAR and Push-broom spectrometer

In the context of growing climate change concerns, accurate and real-time monitoring of greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) is imperative. AIRMO's innovative GHG emissions monitoring service is at the forefront of addressing this need, offering high-resolution and high-sensitivity emissions data. Local winds, along with presence of aerosol and thin clouds significantly impacts the accuracy of GHG flux measurements, hence the output data quality.

The Airmo service, under development,  is powered by a small satellite constellation equipped with 3 co-located instruments including a pushbroom SWIR spectrometer, micro LiDAR, and an RGB camera. In this context, the LiDAR emerges as a pivotal tool due to its unique capability to characterise both winds and aerosols. The major difference and mission impact brought by AIRMO relies on complementing and supplementing the column Radiance data produced by the Spectrometer with atmospheric data from the LiDAR, including data about aerosol layers and cirrus cloud’s optical properties.

This approach enables precise localization of GHG sources with spatial resolution capabilities down to 30 meters. Temporal resolution with a revisit rate of 4 hours with complete deployment ensures timely data for tracking emission changes. High spectral sensitivity in the SWIR range guarantees retrieval accuracy and spectral line characterization. The expe4cted accuracy of methane measurements lies within ±5 ppb and CO2 within ±2 ppm, offering unprecedented precision in GHG quantification.

The upcoming In-Orbit Demonstration (IoD) mission will showcase AIRMO's capability to meet stringent observation requirements and validate its operational framework in alignment with mission objectives. Two airborne campaigns are  planned for 1^st and 3^rd   Q 2024.

The paper will provide an overview of the status of the Mission and critical payload development and performance.