Two satellites developed in the Netherlands will soon map global greenhouse gas emissions. By collecting and sharing information about greenhouse gases, everyone will know who is and isn’t complying with the Paris Climate Agreement. The launch was initially planned for 2027, but has been postponed to 2028.
The two agile satellites are known as the ‘Twin Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gas Observers’, or Tango. They will orbit the Earth in close succession. One of them will measure CO2 and methane emissions, while the other will measure nitrogen dioxide emissions. They will take new measurements every four days. The sensors are so sensitive that they can detect up to 70 percent of all greenhouse gases emitted.
Scout mission
Another Dutch satellite has already proven its worth. Australia, for example, immediately intervened after the Tropomi satellite measured that several coal mines were emitting significantly more methane than previously known. Tropomi also discovered methane-leaking landfills in Spain, a gas leak in Turkmenistan, and a gas explosion in Kazakhstan.
The Netherlands has maintained a strong international presence in the field of Earth observation and satellite missions for over 40 years.
The Twin Anthropogenic Greenhouse gas Observers (TANGO) is a scout mission within the European Space Agency’s Earth Observation Future EO program. A consortium consisting of ISISPACE (mission and satellite prime), SRON and KNMI (atmospheric science), and TNO (instruments prime) has been selected for the implementation of the TANGO mission, with a three-year schedule from implementation kick-off until launch, envisaged for 2028.
