Tokyo: Japan will initiate the monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions using spectrometers installed on commercial passenger flights, marking a global first as the country intensifies its efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

According to Anadolu Agency, Japan's aerospace agency, JAXA, and ANA Holdings, the country's largest airline group, are collaborating to commercialize high-resolution atmospheric monitoring through data collected during regular passenger flights. The partnership has equipped a commercial ANA Boeing 737 with a JAXA-developed device capable of detecting atmospheric particles such as carbon dioxide through a cabin window, with plans to install a second unit by March and further expansions across ANA's fleet.

Spectrometers, which measure how different gases absorb sunlight at specific wavelengths, provide a more efficient method for detecting emission concentrations than traditional mid-flight air sampling. Hiroshi Suto, JAXA's associate senior chief officer of Earth Observation Missions, explained that the technology allows for real-time atmospheric observation, akin to capturing images from an airplane.

JAXA has been monitoring greenhouse gas emissions using its Ibuki satellite since 2009 and began collaborating with ANA in 2020 to develop in-cabin observation technology. Unlike satellite observations conducted from about 600 kilometers above Earth, the data from ANA flights operating at an altitude of approximately 10 kilometers allows for more detailed and localized analysis.

Ayako Matsumoto, space business development manager at ANA Holdings, highlighted the approach's broader observational benefits, noting the ability to observe extensive surface areas and obtain detailed measurements of emissions and forest absorption rates.