Artist impression of MERLIN
Artist impression of MERLIN
The French-German climate satellite MERLIN will measure the concentration of methane in the Earth's atmosphere with unprecedented accuracy from 2021. MERLIN is based on the new ‘Myriade Evolutions’ satellite bus, developed by CNES in collaboration with the French aerospace industry. The satellite payload, an active LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) instrument that can conduct measurements even at night and through thin clouds, is being developed and built in Germany on behalf of the DLR Space Administration with funds from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The methane LIDAR has a laser that can emit light at two different wavelengths, and is therefore capable of carrying out extremely precise measurements of methane concentrations at all latitudes, regardless of sunlight.
