Imaging Spectrometer Vacuum Chamber Test

An engineer prepares the Carbon Mapper imaging spectrometer, which will measure the greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide from space, for testing in a thermal vacuum chamber at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California in July 2023.

This test is one of a series meant to ensure that the instrument can withstand the rigors of launch and the harsh conditions of space. Engineers used the chamber to subject the spectrometer to the extreme temperatures it will encounter in the vacuum of space.

The instrument was shipped from JPL to Planet Labs PBC in San Francisco on Sept. 12, 2023, where it will be integrated into a Tanager satellite.

Designed and built by JPL, imaging spectrometer will be part of an effort led by the nonprofit Carbon Mapper organization to collect data on greenhouse gas point-source emissions. The information will help locate and quantify "super-emitters" – the small percentage of individual sources responsible for a significant fraction of methane and carbon dioxide emissions around the world.