Photonbelt

A Japanese spacecraft has begun a mission to help scientists understand and monitor how the Earth’s climate is changing.

Gosat is a two-tonne Earth-orbiting satellite which will map the abundance of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and where they are.

The probe was blasted into space from the Tanegashima launch site in southern Japan on Friday.

It will orbit the planet at an altitude of 666km during its five-year mission.

Japan’s Space Agency Jaxa says Gosat (Global Greenhouse Observation by Satellite) will “contribute to the international effort toward prevention of (global) warming”.

They say that monitoring greenhouse gases is vital to promote and support measures designed to mitigate climate change.

The Kyoto Protocol came into force in February 2005 and is a comprehensive set of rules for reducing and restricting greenhouse gas emissions.

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