Airbus has been awarded a €160m (£138m) contract by the European Space Agency for a satellite that can measure heat emitted from the Earth into space.
The Far-infrared Outgoing Radiation Understanding and Monitoring (Forum) satellite will be the first to observe Earth in the far-infrared part of the spectrum, providing measurements of its outgoing energy to help improve understanding of the climate system.
Measurements from Forum’s spectrometer will allow scientists to compile a high-resolution view of the Earth’s greenhouse effect and the properties of ice clouds and water vapour in the atmosphere, Airbus said.
