Launched in late 2016, the satellite carries a hyperspectral CO2 detector, making China the third country in the world after the USA and Japan to provide CO2 data. Vegetation chlorophyll fluorescence can also be measured with high accuracy, allowing to estimate photosynthetic productivity of the world’s vegetation. Combined with simultaneous inversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, the synergy between the two will greatly enhance the global carbon sink observation capability. When TanSat satellite chlorophyll fluorescence measurements for 2017 were compared with those of the US OCO-2 satellite, the characteristics of seasonal variations were highly consistent.
China Bio news release, March 1, 2018