The Forum Satellite, Built in the UK, Will Measure the Greenhouse Effect

The United Kingdom UK will build a spacecraft that measures Earth's warming greenhouse effect in all its finest detail. Airbus, the aerospace giant, will build the Forum satellite at its Stevenage factory.

It will detect far-infrared radiation rising from the planet's surface. This particular light makes the molecules of gases like carbon dioxide and water vapour vibrate. This causes the atmosphere to heat up, which is a crucial aspect of climate change.

Forum is an European Space Agency (ESA) Earth observation mission. Its contract for procurement with Airbus amounts to EUR160m (PS140m). On Monday night, the paperwork was signed in the House of Commons by Minister for Science, Research and Innovation George Freeman.

The forum was described by him as another great Esa project, which played to the UK's strengths in satellite manufacturing and climate change studies. We are very skilled at all of that stuff, including the capture and development of Earth observation data. He said that he believes we are in for an exciting time.

Forum stands for Far-infrared Outgoing Radiation Understanding & Monitoring. It is expected that the satellite, which weighs in at nearly one-tonne, will be launched from a Vega rocket by 2027. Without the atmosphere, Earth's surface temperature could be several degrees below zero.

The Sun's shortwave radiation is absorbed on the surface, and then re-emitted at longer wavelengths in the infrared. This energy would be redirected into space if there was no water vapour, carbon dioxide, or other greenhouse gases.

The molecules of these gases trap radiation and heat the planet. More than half of this absorption happens in the far-infrared part of the spectrum. Forum will travel the globe mapping the emitted light energy with a Fourier Transform Scope Spectrometer. OHB-System, a German manufacturer with headquarters in Bremen, will supply the instrument.