TEMPO: Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution

The Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument is a grating spectrometer sensitive to visible and ultraviolet wavelengths. It sits aboard the Maxar-built Intelsat 40e satellite and monitors major air pollutants across the North American continent every daylight hour at approximately 2.1 × 4.4 km² spatial resolution — the first space-based instrument to do so.

TEMPO measures ozone, NO₂, formaldehyde (HCHO), sulfur dioxide, UVB radiation, and aerosol properties. Data supports air quality forecasting, emissions policy evaluation, and understanding of diurnal pollution patterns from traffic, power generation, and wildfire smoke.