Briefs: IBUKI

In order to promote preventive measures against global warming on a worldwide scale, it is imperative to explore the behaviour of greenhouse gases that cause global warming. The Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite IBUKI (GOSAT) is a collaborative project involving JAXA, the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES,) and the Ministry of the Environment (MOE). IBUKI is the world's first satellite used to observe global greenhouse gases from space. IBUKI's mission is to provide updated data every 3 days (to be made available free of charge) and to monitor changes in the effects of greenhouse gases. IBUKI is fitted with a high-precision sensor and uses 56 000 observation points to track the movement and absorption of greenhouse gases. IBUKI will fly around the Earth in about 100 minutes. This means that it can acquire data from a staggering number of observation points compared to observations from ground stations or by airplanes. Take a look at the Earth breathing and find out more: www.jaxa.jp/countdown/f15/overview/ibuki_e.html