TECMS (Guomang)

TECMS [CAS]

TECMS (Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Monitoring Satellite) or Guomang is an Earth observation satellite of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration of the People's Republic of China for the documentation of carbon sinks on the mainland, especially the forests.

The satellite, which weighs around 500 kg and has a planned service life of 4 years, is powered by two fold-out solar cell wings, each with two modules. It has four payloads:

• Five-beam lidar for measuring tree height via the time difference between tree tops and ground. 200 laser flashes per second, distance between the measuring points 100 m.
• Five-angle multispectral camera for measuring the height and area of the plant cover, i.e. the volume of the carbon sinks.
• Optical grating hyperspectral meter for determining chlorophyll fluorescence.
• Aerosol meter: polarimeter with 35 different polarization angles to determine the level of fine dust in the air in the horizontal direction and lidar to determine the level of fine dust in the vertical direction.

The satellite was launched into Sun-synchronous orbit on 4 August 2022 by a CZ-4B launch vehicle from the Taiyuan Cosmodrome.