Imaging Spectrometer Vibration Test

Engineers and technicians prepare the Carbon Mapper imaging spectrometer, which will measure the greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide from space, for vibration testing at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California in August 2023.

This test is one of a series meant to ensure that the instrument can withstand the rigors of launch and the harsh conditions of space. Engineers subjected the spectrometer to intense vibrations similar to what it will endure atop a rocket blasting into orbit.

The instrument was shipped from JPL to Planet Labs PBC in San Francisco on Sept. 12, 2023, where it will be integrated into a Tanager satellite.

Designed and built by JPL, imaging spectrometer will be part of an effort led by the nonprofit Carbon Mapper organization to collect data on greenhouse gas point-source emissions. The information will help locate and quantify "super-emitters" – the small percentage of individual sources responsible for a significant fraction of methane and carbon dioxide emissions around the world.