M Squared, the Glasgow photonics and quantum technology developer, has joined Europe’s Copernicus programme – an ambitious Earth observation initiative headed by the European Commission (EC) in partnership with the European Space Agency. The programme provides accurate, timely and easily accessible information to improve the management of the environment, understand and mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure civil security.
To support the programme, M Squared is working with Thales Alenia Space, and its lasers will be used to measure how much carbon dioxide (CO2) is released into the atmosphere specifically through human activity. The mission will also measure nitrogen dioxide (NO2) to trace CO2 plumes and methane, which is the other main anthropogenic greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.
The CO2M project will benefit from M Squared’s expertise in developing next generation laser systems for calibrating Earth Observation satellite instruments. The company is already supporting a number of critical Earth Observation missions, including the CNES/UK Space Microcarb mission for CO2 monitoring, and the Copernicus Sentinel 4, Sentinel 5 and Sentinel 5P missions. In particular, Copernicus Sentinel 5P, launched in October 2017, is already providing critical data on Earth’s atmosphere.
Dr Graeme Malcolm OBE, Founder & CEO of M Squared, said:
“M Squared makes the world’s purest light – technology that has transformative, real-world, applications that can take on the climate emergency, greatly improve biomedical imaging, realise the next evolution of semiconductors, and now truly unlock the coming quantum age. We are excited to be supporting Thales Alenia Space and OHB System on the CO2M project towards understanding the effects of climate change and supporting the implementation of the Paris Agreement.”
Seven Hills is thrilled to support M Squared’s mission to address global scientific and technology challenges. The team secured coverage for this key partnership announcement in the likes of The Scotsman, which you can read here.