Satellite set to monitor Earth's atmospheric chemistry
Astrium has signed a €45.5m (£39m) contract to build a satellite that could improve our understanding of the Earth’s atmosphere.

The company has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) as the prime contractor for the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite — a mission to monitor atmospheric chemistry.
As part of a total satellite programme of more than €80m (£68.6m), UK industry will deliver the mission platform and significant elements of the instrument of this mission.
David Willetts, minister for universities and science, said: ‘This project is yet more evidence of the UK’s world-leading position in satellite technology and will play an important role in understanding climate change.’
The Sentinel-5 Precursor mission is part of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security programme (GMES), which is a joint undertaking of the European Community and the ESA.
GMES claims it will supply geo-information products and services, helping European institutions and public authorities to fulfil their mission of safeguarding the civil population, managing risks and protecting the environment.
The single-satellite, low-cost mission aims to bridge the observation gap predicted for when the current atmospheric chemistry measuring satellite ENVISAT reaches the end of its operations.
Register now to continue reading
Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.
Benefits of registering
-
In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends
-
Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year
-
Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox
Radio wave weapon knocks out drone swarms
Probably. A radio-controlled drone cannot be completely shielded to RF, else you´d lose the ability to control it. The fibre optical cable removes...