New Publication TANGO Satellite’s Potential for Tracking Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Harikrishnan Charuvil Asokan and coauthors have assessed the potential of the upcoming TANGO satellite for targeting carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions from point sources.
The team has combined detailed orbit simulations of the TANGO satellite—including its maneuvering capabilities—with global inventories of localized CO₂ and CH₄ emissions from sources such as coal-fired power plants, industrial facilities, oil, gas and coal operations, and landfills.
Under clear-sky conditions, the study found that TANGO could detect a large share of major emission point sources, identifying approximately 500 targets during each four-day orbital repeat cycle. However, cloud cover remains a major limiting factor, reducing detection rates by about 64%–68%. Incorporating cloud-forecast data into target selection could help mitigate this loss in observational yield.
The findings position TANGO as a compelling case study for next-generation satellite missions designed to monitor greenhouse gases, underscoring both the promise and the challenges of achieving emission tracking on a global scale.
Charuvil Asokan, H., Landgraf, J., Veefkind, P., Dellaert, S., and Butz, A.: Assessing the detection potential of targeting satellites for global greenhouse gas monitoring: insights from TANGO orbit simulations, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 5247–5264, 2025.