The European Space Agency has announced that TRUTHS has been approved as part of the Earth Observation programme that will be proposed to the Council Meeting at Ministerial Level (C-Min) which takes place in Paris on November 22nd-23rd.
TRUTHS stands for Traceable Radiometry Underpinning Terrestrial- and Helio-Studies mission and it was conceived by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) to track climate change more accurately from space. It is being developed by ESA on behalf of the UK Space Agency and other partner nations across Europe to track climate change more accurately from space. It will play a key role in giving climate decision-makers confidence in climate data gathered from space.
News of the important step forwards in the funding process has been welcomed by UK Space Agency and NPL.
Improving understanding of climate change
Beth Greenaway, S4C Chair and Head of Earth Observation and Climate at UK Space Agency, said: “This landmark ESA mission, which will underpin the data collected from satellites and provide a benchmark reference for radiation measurements to improve our understanding of climate change, will now be on the table for investment at the upcoming ESA’s Council Meeting at Ministerial Level in November.
“TRUTHS demonstrates our strengths in Earth Observation technology and highlights the importance of working with international partners, including Switzerland, Greece, Romania and the Czech Republic, to provide data that can be used by all for climate action.”
A climate and calibration observatory in space
Space4Climate Board member Nigel Fox, who devised the TRUTHS mission, is an NPL Fellow in Optical Radiometry and Earth Observation and the science lead for the Earth Observation, Climate and Optical group of NPL and Earth Observation in general at NPL as a whole. He said: “TRUTHS will establish a metrology laboratory in space, becoming a founding element of a future space-based climate and calibration observatory. Its high-accuracy measurements will enable benchmarks from which change can be detected in as short a time as possible, facilitating timely climate action.
“Its novel calibration services will facilitate improved interoperability, not only between ESA and other space agency missions but also the new commercial space actors, maximising utility of all space assets and data.”
UK organisations contributing to TRUTHS
As well as NPL and UK Space Agency, other UK organisations involved in TRUTHS include Airbus Defence and Space, Thales Alenia Space UK, CGI IT UK, STFC-RAL Space, Goonhilly Earth Station, Telespazio UK, University of Leicester, Teledyne UK and Surrey Satellite Technology.
TRUTHS will carry two instruments – the Cryogenic Solar Absolute Radiometer and the Hyperspectral Imaging Spectrometer – in addition to the novel onboard calibration system. The instruments will make continuous measurements of incoming solar radiation and solar radiation reflected from Earth up to 10 times more accurately than current satellites. The two observations will be used to evaluate the ratio between incoming and outgoing energy, and will improve the quality of the global satellites observation system.
ESA’s Andrea Marini said: “Embraced by ESA Member States, TRUTHS has shown its attractiveness and demonstrated potential for becoming a new ESA mission for climate monitoring and calibration. This follows a successful definition study phase and the completion of the technical, scientific and programmatic reviews.”
