NASA has shared the first images from it’s air pollution tracking satellite, TEMPO, which measures pollution by observing wavelengths of light.
A new NASA satellite designed to monitor pollution from space has shared its first images, showing how it will be able to track air pollution across North America. The TEMPO, or Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution, instrument was launched earlier this year in April and has been observing the Earth from its orbit 22,000 miles above the equator.
TEMPO is able to measure air pollution with high resolution, down to a few square miles, and can show changes in pollution occurring in short time frames. That will allow it to gather data on factors affecting air pollution like rush hour traffic or smoke from wildfires.
“Neighborhoods and communities across the country will benefit from TEMPO’s game-changing data for decades to come,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a statement.
