Agile mapping of SIF and xCO2 from the recently-launched OCO-3 mission: Early Results

Installed on the International Space Station (ISS) in May 2019, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory 3 (OCO-3) will continue global sampling of column xCO₂ and solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) using the flight spare instrument from OCO-2. Due the addition of an 2-axis pointing mirror assembly, OCO-3 has unprecedented agility among greenhouse gas observing satellites allowing frequent regional mapping of xCO2 and SIF for areas up to 80x80km with ground footprints of ~1.6 by 2.2 km. Due to its low-inclination orbit (51.6 degrees) aboard the International Space Station, it offers uniquely dense sampling in the tropics as well as temporal sampling throughout the day not possible from previous sun-synchronous polar-orbiting missions. Together, these features are enabling a new set of science investigations on the patterns of carbon dioxide and photosynthesis on Earth; specifically, as it relates to growing urban populations and changing patterns of fossil fuel combustion, geogenic CO2 emissions as a potential early warning signal before volcanic eruptions, and understanding the diurnal relationship between SIF and photosynthesis.

OCO-3 has arrived at the ISS at a particularly fortuitous time, considering the potential for synergistic measurements of ecosystem function, structure and composition with other ISS instruments including ECOSTRESS (ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station), GEDI (Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation), DESIS (DLR Earth Sensing Imaging Spectrometer), and upcoming HISUI (Hyperspectral Imager Suite) instruments on the ISS.

Here we present on the status of the OCO-3 mission, science objectives, science data products, early operations, and a few highlights from early mission data with a focus on the multi-instrument synergies with ECOSTRESS.