China's carbon satellite shares data worldwide

BEIJING -- China's carbon dioxide monitoring satellite TanSat has 75 data users worldwide, according to the website of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The 620-kg satellite received 11,000 data orders and 27,478 GB of data downloads.

TanSat, launched last December, was China's first satellite to monitor greenhouse gas emissions.

As part of its three-year mission, TanSat thoroughly examines global carbon dioxide (CO2) levels every 16 days, accurate within 4 ppm (parts per million).

The satellite can observe the sun, moon, solar flares and objects on the ground.

The satellite has different modes for observing oceans and land, and can constantly adjust its orientation and position. To ensure the accuracy of TanSat, six ground-based observation stations will calibrate and examine observational data.

China is the third country after Japan and the United States to monitor greenhouse gases using its own satellite.