https://en.people.cn/n3/2026/0512/c90000-20455367.html

Among the payload delivered to orbit by the recently launched Tianzhou-10 cargo spacecraft is a lightweight, high-resolution greenhouse-gas point-source detection instrument, spearheaded by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Designed for external mounting, the device can measure carbon dioxide and methane concentrations at key emission sources across the globe’s mid-to-low latitudes. This will provide reliable, accurate, and high-frequency data to support greenhouse gas monitoring, reporting and verification.

China officially launched its national carbon emissions trading market in July 2021, and it has since evolved into the world’s largest carbon market by total greenhouse gas emissions traded. While the traditional “bottom-up” carbon accounting system relies on estimates based on activity data and emission factors, which can be prone to discrepancies, satellites allow us to conduct precise “top-down” monitoring.

China’s private sector is also stepping into the field of space-based carbon monitoring. Dyscienc, a startup from the eastern city of Ningbo, unveiled a satellite constellation plan in February, aiming to launch a 28-satellite network that includes 7 satellites for carbon source monitoring and 21 for carbon sink monitoring. According to Dyscienc’s roadmap, the first carbon source satellite is scheduled for launch by the end of 2026, and the near-real-time global carbon monitoring will be achieved before 2030.