TanSat, also known as CarbonSat, is a Chinese Earth observation satellite dedicated to monitoring carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere. It is generally classified as a minisatellite, and is the first dedicated carbon mission of the Chinese space program.[1] The mission was formally proposed in 2010, and work began in January 2011.[3] It is funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and was built by the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem And Information Technology (SIMIT).[3]
| Names | CarbonSat | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission type | Earth observation | ||||||
| Operator | MOST | ||||||
| COSPAR ID | 2016-081A | ||||||
| SATCAT no. | 41898 | ||||||
| Mission duration | Planned: 3 years[1] Elapsed: 7 years, 10 months, 22 days | ||||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||||
| Manufacturer | SIMIT[1] | ||||||
| Launch mass | 620 kg (1,370 lb)[1] | ||||||
| Dry mass | 610 kg (1,340 lb)[1] | ||||||
| Dimensions | 150 × 180 × 185 cm (59 × 71 × 73 in)[1] | ||||||
| Start of mission | |||||||
| Launch date | 21 December 2016, 19:22 UTC[2] | ||||||
| Rocket | Long March 2D[3] | ||||||
| Launch site | Jiuquan LC43/603[3] | ||||||
| Contractor | CASC | ||||||
| Orbital parameters | |||||||
| Reference system | Geocentric | ||||||
| Regime | Low Earth | ||||||
| Semi-major axis | 7,083 km (4,401 mi) | ||||||
| Eccentricity | 0.002272 | ||||||
| Perigee altitude | 688.9 km (428.1 mi) | ||||||
| Apogee altitude | 721.1 km (448.1 mi) | ||||||
| Inclination | 98.16° | ||||||
| Period | 98.89 minutes | ||||||
| Epoch | 12 February 2017, 19:47:39 UTC[4] | ||||||
| |||||||
TanSat carries two instruments: the Carbon Dioxide Spectrometer and the Cloud and Aerosol Polarimetry Imager. The Carbon Dioxide Spectrometer (CDS), also called CarbonSpec, is a high-resolution grating spectrometer which measures CO2 absorption at 1.61 μm and 2.06 μm, and O2 absorption in reflected sunlight at 0.76 μm. The Cloud and Aerosol Polarimetry Imager (CAPI) is a wide-field, moderate-resolution, imaging spectrometer which works in concert with CDS by compensating for measurement errors caused by clouds and aerosols. It makes observations in ultraviolet (0.38 μm), visible (0.67 μm), and near infrared (0.87 μm, 1.375 μm, and 1.64 μm).[5]
See also
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References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "TanSat". eoPortal. European Space Agency. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ "China launches satellite to monitor global carbon emissions". Xinhua. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ a b c d Barbosa, Rui C. (21 December 2016). "Long March 2D launches TanSat carbon dioxide monitoring spacecraft". NASA Spaceflight. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ "Object A - Orbit". Heavens Above. 12 February 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ Nowakowski, Tomasz (21 December 2016). "Long March 2D launches China's TanSat carbon-monitoring satellite". Spaceflight Insider. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
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