The European Space Agency (ESA) announced a new mission for 2026 this week.
The mission will allow them to better measure the radiation the Earth emits into space and improve scientists understanding of climate change.
In a press release, the ESA said the new satellite, called Forum, will record the far infra-red radiation emitted from Earth for the first time.
Far infra-red is an electro-magnetic spectrum that goes further than the types of radiation that are currently measured.
This data “will help measure Earth’s radiation balance” (the balance between the radiation Earth receives from the Sun and what it emits).
“If the radiation is not balanced, the temperature of our planet can change, which affects the climate,” the ESA said.
Radiation emitted in far infra-red represents “more than half of the infra-red radiation emitted from Earth.”
The Forum mission is planned for 2026. The ESA “hopes to have a clearer and more detailed vision of what happens at different altitudes in the atmosphere and better understand our planet’s energy balance.”
The Brussels Times
