Yesterday, ISISPACE, TNO, SRON, and KNMI announced the construction of the Twin Anthropogenic Greenhouse gas Observers (TANGO). This is a satellite system from the European Space Agency (ESA) that measures global greenhouse gas emissions of CO₂ and methane at the source level. TANGO builds on the successful TROPOMI satellite mission. TANGO takes a major step forward: it will map sources responsible for approximately 70% of greenhouse gas emissions, whereas TROPOMI only visualises 5% and measures only methane among the greenhouse gases. TANGO measures emissions from individual sources such as power plants, landfills, and factories.
TANGO consists of two agile satellites, each weighing 25 kg, orbiting the Earth together. One satellite measures CO₂ and methane emissions, while the other measures nitrogen dioxide. This way, TANGO captures emissions from 150 to 300 large industrial facilities and power plants every four days. The result is imagery of emission plumes with a resolution of 300 x 300 meters.
Dutch partners
TANGO is an ESA mission developed through a Dutch consortium. ISISPACE leads the implementation and is responsible for the satellites, launch, and operations. TNO develops and builds the instruments that measure CO₂, methane, and NO₂, and is working on an emission atlas for greenhouse gas emissions. SRON and KNMI provide scientific leadership for the project and develop the algorithms to derive gas concentrations. SRON also develops detector electronics and the ground segment for operational data processing.
TANGO is an ESA Scout mission, developed within ESA’s FutureEO programme. As an ESA member state, the Netherlands contributes to TANGO through funding provided by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. This is a direct result of the space policy advice and implementation carried out by the Netherlands Space Office.
Opportunities for the Netherlands
The Netherlands has held a strong international position in earth observation and satellite missions for over 40 years. The development of TANGO is further proof of this. The construction and launch of TANGO not only offer opportunities for Dutch industry but also help the Netherlands strengthen its international leadership in atmospheric Earth observation and establish a unique position in providing climate data. The contract for TANGO between ESA and the main contractor, ISISPACE, was signed on June 26 in Vienna during the ESA Living Planet Symposium.