ESA launches satellites to map Earth's water cycle and test scientific equipments

SMOS or Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity and Proba-2 satellites were launched on Monday from the Russian military spacedrome of Plesetsk at early morning.

According to an ESA official, SMOS will use a new radiometry instrument - Microwave Imaging Radiometer using Aperture Synthesis or MIRAS - to see the microwave radiation emitted from the planet's surface and build two-dimensional maps to give an overall view of the Earth's water cycle.

According to Susanne Mecklenburg, mission manager, SMOS, soil moisture and ocean salinity are two very dominant variables in the water cycle and the satellite is equipped with a highly technologically advanced antenna that can detect both with unprecedented accuracy.

SMOS satellite's job, Mecklenburg said, will be to measure water retention capacity in soil to help forecast drought and flood risk and calculate the planet's carbon cycle to determine the amount of CO2 pollution that affects climate change.

Its other job will be to measure changes in the salinity of sea surface waters, which will increase understanding of what drives global ocean circulation patterns.

"We will be able to actually improve our knowledge about water and energy cycles on the earth, which will also support us in understanding better how the earth system actually works and also corresponds to, for instance present changes in the earth climate," Mecklenburg said, adding that when fully commissioned SMOS satellite will be able to image 1000 sq km of the earth’s surface every 1.2 seconds.

The data collected will provide scientists with a reliable picture of how water moves across the planet and give a clearer picture on the effects of climate change on water.

On the other hand, Proba-2 satellite, which is part of ESA's Orbit Technology Demonstration Programme and is one of the smallest satellites to be ever launched by ESA, is carrying four scientific instruments that will observe the sun and its effects on space weather.

Proba-2 satellite, according to Michel Courtois, director of technical and quality management at ESA, will study the electron and ion content in the earth's atmosphere, solar flare and solar storm, besides testing devices such as a new type of lithium-ion battery, an advanced data and power management system, a dual-frequency GPS space receiver, an experimental solar panel, an exploration micro-camera, a cold gas generator and 11 other gadgets.