OCO-neXt: The Next Generation Orbiting Carbon Observatory

The National Academies’ 2018 Earth Science and Applications from Space highlighted the need for monthly, global estimates of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) fluxes with a spatial resolution of 100-500 km. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2 and OCO-3) series of instruments pioneered space-based CO₂ remote sensing from low earth orbit (LEO), but lack the CH₄, carbon monoxide (CO), and wide-swath surface mapping capabilities required for an improved understanding of the global carbon cycle.

Here, we present the Next Generation Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-neXt) which advances key technologies to enable a high-performance, cost-effective solution for a space-based carbon-climate observing system tailored to the conditions expected in the 2030s. The system features a GHG Instrument that delivers high-precision observations of total column CO₂, CH₄, and CO as well as a solar induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) instrument. Both instruments sample > 80% of the Earth’s surface at the Equator every 16 days and enable more frequent revisits at higher latitudes. We use the CMS-flux data assimilation system to provide gridded land and ocean fluxes with which to characterize carbon-climate feedbacks, and deliver actionable information for critical applications such as the Food Security and the Global Stocktake.