Airbus to build instruments for international satellite constellation, to study the atmosphere

Airbus Space Systems (part of Airbus Defence and Space, itself part of the global major aerospace group Airbus) announced on Monday that it had been selected by France’s space agency, the National Centre for Space Studies (much better known by its French abbreviation, CNES), to build two new generation high-frequency microwave radiometers (which measure the intensity of radiant energy). These instruments will form part of the French contribution to the international Atmosphere Observing System (AOS). AOS is a collaboration between the US, Canada, Japan, Italy and France (the countries involved being listed in the order given by Airbus). The lead agency is the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa).