Japan launches satellite to track greenhouse gases

The project will help scientists measure the density of carbon dioxide and methane across almost the entire surface of the Earth, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
A Japanese-made H-2A rocket carrying the Ibuki satellite blasted off at 12:54 pm (0354 GMT) from a space centre on Tanegashima, a small island in southern Japan, after a two-day delay due to bad weather.
Roughly 16 minutes later, Ibuki, which means ‘breath of fresh air’ in Japanese, successfully separated from the rocket, prompting cheers and applause from scientists involved in the mission.
Tourists and schoolchildren watched the rocket shoot into the sky, leaving a trail of fumes as it disappeared into the clouds. Images beamed back to the ground later showed it high up in space with the Earth in the background.
The satellite will collect data from 56,000 locations around the world, a dramatic increase from the 282 observation points available as of last October, JAXA said.
It will produce accurate data of greenhouse gas emissions, including those in developing countries that have so far been hard to monitor, it said.