Densely populated areas such as major cities may raise the temperatures of their inhabitants and nearby communities. To learn more about the effects of urban-generated heat on Earth’s climates, the European Space Agency (ESA) has contracted Thales Alenia Space for a mission consolidation study of the Space Based Infra-Red Imager for Urban Sustainability (SIRIUS) mission.
SIRIUS uses thermal infrared (TIR) data collected from space satellites to measure the temperatures of thermal “hot spots” such as European cities from a distance. Thales Alenia Space is a joint venture between Thales (67%) and the Italian engineering firm Leonardo (33%).
One goal of the SIRIUS mission is to use TIR data observed from orbiting satellites to study "urban heat islands," or areas in cities that are hotter than surrounding areas, and how they modify local climates (see image above). Urban heat islands are typically the results of excessive use of impermeable surfaces and materials, areas with sparse vegetation, and human activity.
More than 8 billion humans currently inhabit Earth, with one half of those in urban environments. The populations of urban areas are expected to rise rapidly within the next few decades, with potential impact on global climates. Differences in urban and surrounding rural areas, currently as much as 12°C at night, could affect health and mortality rates in cities as well as energy consumption. Thales Alenia Space plans to generate heat maps as tools for understanding the effects of urban heat islands.
The SIRIUS mission, which features 64-m distance resolution from space, is designed for night-time study of several European cities daily. It takes advantage of the smart-thermal-infrared instrument (smart-TIRI) developed by Thales Alenia Space.
Regarding the contract, Ismael López, CEO of Thales Alenia Space in Spain, said, “We are very pleased to receive ESA’s support to carry out the consolidation study of the SIRIUS mission, based on our Smart-TIRI instrument, an innovative, compact, high-performance technology, with very competitive cost.”
López added, “This solution led by Thales Alenia Space in Spain is very well suited for different applications of great environmental and sustainability interest, such as monitoring urban heat islands, a growing phenomenon with significant health, environmental, and socioeconomic implications.”
