MicroCarb, the European mission that will measure the absorption and emission of_CO2 from space

The MicroCarb mission, jointly developed by the French space agency CNES and the UK Space Agency, aims to characterize greenhouse gas fluxes on the Earth’s surface and determine how much carbon is absorbed by the oceans and forests, considered the planet’s main carbon sinks.

MicroCarb was launched into space in July 2025 and, two months later, in September, it published its first images. Since then, work has focused on the precision calibration of the instrument and the adjustment of the data processing algorithms. The mission will become part of an international network of satellites dedicated to monitoring greenhouse gases. Building on the work carried out by previous CO2 missions, MicroCarb will provide more accurate data on carbon dioxide concentrations and improve knowledge of the natural carbon cycle and emissions from human activity.

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