Official Launch of TANGO Climate Satellite Development in The Hague

Yesterday afternoon, the official launch of the development of TANGO, an innovative climate satellite by the European Space Agency (ESA), took place at Nieuwspoort in The Hague. The satellite system is being developed by four collaborating Dutch organizations: the company ISISPACE, TNO, SRON, and KNMI. TANGO measures greenhouse gas emissions from individual sources such as power plants, landfills, and factories. “We are particularly proud that the Netherlands is able to deliver this and that the NSO has played a key role in enabling this important mission,” said NSO director Harm van de Wetering.

NSO director Harm van de Wetering. Global Emissions in Focus

TANGO stands for Twin Anthropogenic Greenhouse gas Observers and consists of two small, agile satellites working together. The first satellite measures nitrogen dioxide emissions, while the second measures levels of greenhouse gases CO₂ and methane. Every four days, TANGO can monitor emissions from 150 to 300 large industrial pollution sources, such as power plants, factories, and waste incinerators. TANGO does this with a resolution of 300 x 300 meters—a level of detail that is unique worldwide. Governments can use this data to verify compliance with climate and environmental regulations. Based on this, targeted measures can be taken to reduce emissions.

“The data from TANGO is of great international value because it is actionable—it will help enable targeted action,” said Richard Engelen, deputy director of the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring System (CAMS) of the European weather agency ECMWF.
According to NSO director Harm van de Wetering, TANGO demonstrates what space technology can mean for society and how the Netherlands, together with ESA, can use small satellites to address major societal challenges: “TANGO is not only a technological achievement, but above all a service to our society. From space, we will soon be mapping pollution sources worldwide, which is of direct value for policymaking, science, and citizens. With this mission, we show what the Netherlands can contribute to global climate solutions.”

TANGO strengthens the Netherlands' international position in Earth observation and contributes to independent climate data from European soil. The mission also showcases how technological innovation and policy vision can come together, with NSO acting as the link between science, industry, government, and ESA.

Two TANGO satellites. Dutch Partners

TANGO is an ESA mission developed by a Dutch consortium. ISISPACE leads the implementation and is responsible for the satellites, their launch, and operations. TNO develops and builds the instruments that measure CO₂, methane, and NO₂ emissions and is working on an emission atlas for greenhouse gases. SRON and KNMI hold scientific leadership over the project and are developing the algorithms for deriving gas concentrations. SRON is also developing detector electronics and the ground segment for operational data processing.
TANGO is an ESA Scout mission, developed within ESA’s FutureEO program. The Netherlands contributes to TANGO as an ESA member state through funding from the Ministry of Economic Affairs. This is a direct result of the advice and implementation of space policy by the Netherlands Space Office.