The world is set to benefit from more accurate climate data as the groundbreaking MicroCarb satellite has begun its journey to space.
Developed in partnership between the UK Space Agency and French Space Agency CNES, MicroCarb marks a major milestone in the global fight against climate change.
Successfully launched aboard a Vega-C rocket from Kourou, French Guiana on 26 July 2025, MicroCarb joins the international greenhouse gas virtual constellation of satellites, boosting global efforts to monitor climate change.
Unprecedented precision from space
Orbiting 650km above Earth, MicroCarb will map urban CO2 emissions at an unprecedented 2km by 2km resolution, crucial for understanding city emissions, which account for more than 70% of global CO2 output.
This capability is supported by the satellite’s Pointing and Calibration System (PCS), designed, developed, and tested at RAL Space which is operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council.
This critical component steers the satellite’s view to allow scanning of specific locations, whilst delivering on-board calibration to ensure highly precise measurements throughout the mission’s lifetime.
Mapping nature’s carbon
Beyond urban emissions, MicroCarb will monitor natural carbon sinks including forests and oceans, helping scientists understand where and how much carbon planet absorbs.
It will also measure solar induced fluorescence, a faint glow emitted by plants during photosynthesis, providing valuable insights into the carbon cycle and supporting direct measurements of CO2 in the atmosphere.
UK expertise at the heart of MicroCarb
UK teams have played a central role throughout the mission’s development, showcasing British space industry excellence.
Following the PCS delivery to Airbus in France in 2020, RAL Space welcomed the entire satellite back to Oxfordshire in December 2022 for its final assembly, integration and test phase.
Working alongside Thales Alenia Space UK, RAL Space teams put the satellite through rigorous vibration, shock, and thermal vacuum tests to ensure it could withstand the harsh conditions of launch and space.
It also manufactured some of the satellite’s multi-layer insulation blankets that protect it from the extreme temperatures it will face in orbit.
A critical tool for climate action
Backed by £15 million from the UK Space Agency, MicroCarb illustrates the power of international collaboration in tackling climate change.
The mission will join an international constellation of greenhouse gas monitoring satellites, providing the transparent, verifiable data needed to hold nations accountable for their climate commitments.
The first MicroCarb data products are expected to be released in roughly one year, offering insights into major urban emitters and the performance of natural carbon sinks.
These findings will feed into international climate assessments and future satellite missions under the UK’s Earth observation roadmap.
Innovation for impact
Paul Eccleston, RAL Space’s Chief Engineer during the development of MicroCarb’s Pointing and Calibration System, said:
MicroCarb’s successful launch is a real moment of pride for our colleagues at RAL Space.
Years of hard work from our teams and all the others across the UK has led to this milestone.
Now comes the exciting part, seeing the data come back to Earth and knowing it will make a real difference in climate science.
International collaboration in action
Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said:
Satellites like MicroCarb are our eyes in the sky.
Over half of the critical data we use to understand climate change comes from space, and MicroCarb’s successful launch is a major leap forward in our ability to track carbon emissions and absorption with unprecedented accuracy, from the world’s cities to its forests and oceans.
Backed by UK and French investment and expertise, it’s a proud moment for both our space sectors and a powerful example of international collaboration in action.