Hintze welcomes Franco-German climate satellite

Peter Hintze, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and German Government Co-ordinator of Aerospace Policy, commented as follows on today's decision by the council of Franco-German ministers in Paris to approve a Franco-German climate satellite:

"I am glad that Germany and France gave the go-ahead today for a Franco-German climate satellite. The joint satellite mission to observe methane, a greenhouse gas, is a good signal for international climate protection and highlights the successful co-operation between Germany and France in the field of space flight. The development and construction of the satellite will strengthen Germany's technological capabilities in the forward-looking field of applied space flight.

The joint climate satellite will be able to identify and display natural and anthropogenic methane emissions in the near future at a high degree of resolution and precision. Methane (CH₄) is the second most significant greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide (CO₂) responsible for causing the greenhouse effect. Its sources and deposits are as yet insufficiently researched. The satellite mission is expected not least to produce insights into the effects on the climate of increasing energy production, uncontrolled fires and climate-related changes to wetlands. The mission will therefore make a substantial contribution towards the targets agreed in the Kyoto Protocol and will help to ensure reliable climate forecasts.

The estimated costs of the mission, totalling 120 million euros, will be shared equally by Germany and France. The satellite will be developed and built by research establishments and industrial partners from both countries under the direction of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the French Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES). The mission is to commence from the middle of the decade."