China makes breakthrough in atmospheric monitoring

HEFEI -- A number of core instruments onboard the Gaofen-5 satellite recently passed the on-orbit test, marking a breakthrough for China in monitoring air pollutants, greenhouse gases and aerosols.

The three payloads -- an Environment Monitoring Instrument, Greenhouse-gases Monitoring Instrument and Directional Polarization Camera -- were developed by Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (AIOFM).

Experts say the technologies can help reduce China's dependence on foreign satellite data on the atmospheric environment. Apart from obtaining accurate atmospheric data, the instruments can analyze the formation and development of pollution sources on the Earth's surface.

The Gaofen-5, used for environmental monitoring, was launched in May 2018 in northern China.

The AIOFM team still faces a number of related tasks, such as developing an ultraviolet hyper-spectral pollution-gas monitor on a high-precision greenhouse gas exploration satellite.