New Belgian space mission studies the earth's atmosphere

04/05/2017

Belgium is working on a new space mission to measure the key components in our atmosphere. These measurements are indispensable in mapping out climate change and the evolution in the ozone layer.

The Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB) is the driving force behind the ALTIUS mission (Atmospheric Limb Tracker for the Investigation of the Upcoming Stratosphere). After ten years of research and development, the time is ripe to send the innovative ALTIUS spectrometer into space. This will take place within the next four years, aboard a PROBA satellite. This manoeuvrable and Belgian-made mini satellite will fly over the earth's upper atmosphere, extending from heights between 10 and 100 kilometres.

There is a significant need for a new satellite in order to study the earth's atmosphere. There are currently just a small number of satellites observing the planet and they are doing so with old-fashioned instruments. This creates a risk for the continuity of the recordings. So it's high time for ALTIUS!

The mission is part of the Earth Watch programme run by the European Space Agency. The Belgian space industry is a key player in this particular project. The scientific and operational teams involved in the mission are also entirely Belgian (namely the BIRA-IASB and the control centre B.USOC respectively).