NASA launches high resolution device to check air pollution on Earth

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NASA launches high resolution device to check air pollution on Earth (Image: Twitter/@NASA)
NASA launches high resolution device to check air pollution on Earth (Image: Twitter/@NASA)

New Delhi : On Friday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket effectively launched from Florida, transporting a novel NASA instrument designed to monitor air pollution levels across North America.

The TEMPO instrument, designed for Tropospheric Emissions Monitoring of Pollution, will enable scientists to conduct unprecedented comprehensive monitoring of air pollutants and their emission sources from space, with high resolution down to the neighborhood level.

As stated by Kevin Daugherty, the project manager for NASA's TEMPO, the instrument will regularly assess pollution levels and air quality throughout the daytime in a wide area spanning from Puerto Rico to the tar sands of Canada, covering greater North America. The measurements will be taken on an hourly basis.

The information will be utilized by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and other governmental entities tasked with addressing air pollution in the atmosphere.

Why is TEMPO so special?

"The TEMPO mission goes beyond studying pollution; it's about enhancing life on Earth for everyone," stated NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

"With the capability to monitor the impacts of various factors, including rush-hour traffic, forest fires, and volcanic emissions, NASA's TEMPO data will contribute to improving air quality across North America and safeguarding our planet," he added.

One notable aspect of TEMPO, comparable in size to a washing machine and resembling a chemistry laboratory in space, is that it will be hosted on an Intelsat communications satellite in geostationary orbit.

Unlike existing pollution-monitoring satellites in low Earth orbit that provide observations only once a day at a fixed time, TEMPO will offer measurements of atmospheric pollution at a spatial resolution of 4 square miles (10 square kilometers), equivalent to a neighborhood level.