The first spacecraft dedicated to measuring carbon dioxide levels in the Earth’s atmosphere, Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 ( OCO-2) , begins its journey at 11.56 a.m. from the Vandenberg base, California (USA), aboard a Delta II rocket .
OCO-2’s mission will be to provide a more complete picture of natural and human carbon dioxide sources, as well as their “sinks” , that is, the natural processes in the ocean and on land, through which CO2 is released. from the atmosphere and is then stored. Considering that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is at its highest level in 800,000 years , this work has become imperative.
The spacecraft will operate at an altitude of 705 kilometers in a near-polar orbit and will become the main satellite of a conglomerate of five international satellites that will orbit every 99 minutes, providing detailed information on the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. In the same way, it is hoped to locate and identify natural sinks in the attempt, both to fight against climate change, and to decipher an old puzzle of science.
“ Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere plays a fundamental role in the energy balance of our planet and is a key factor in understanding how our climate is changing. With the OCO-2 mission, NASA contributes to an important new source of global observations for the scientific challenge of better understanding our Earth and its future, ”says Michael Freilich, project leader.
