Scale model 1:5
of the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite and its instrument TROPOMI
Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy
On 13 October 2017, the European satellite Sentinel-5 Precursor was placed in orbit. On board, the TROPOMI (TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument) monitors a list of atmospheric parameters on a daily basis on a global scale and relays the information in near-real time. The remarkable performance of the TROPOMI instrument allows to detect pollution sources on the scale of a city and small-scale atmospheric effects more accurately than ever before. These data are of crucial importance in addressing issues related to air quality, ozone, volcanic hazards to aviation and climate change.
The Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy plays a key role in the development of the algorithms used to produce satellite maps of sulphur dioxide, formaldehyde and ozone levels in the atmosphere. The Institute also contributes to the validation and analysis of the satellite data.
Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB)
