25th June 2026 • The HERALD • Page 73 v READ THE HERALD ONLINE: www.herald-publishing.co.uk v YATES & CO Chartered Accountants Specialists in providing accounting and taxation advice to small businesses and individuals Contact: Colin Yates A.C.A. Telephone: (023) 8086 1550 E-mail: enquiries@yatesco.co.uk Personal and Friendly Service ASK A PROFESSIONAL Leonardo ESA Forum Flight Detectors To Close Critical Gap In Scientific Climate Modelling For the first time, Leonardo space scientists in Southampton have delivered ight infrared detectors to the European Space Agency’s FORUM mission, that will enable atmospheric scientists to measure the energy emitted by the Earth in the far-infrared part of Earth’s outgoing longwave radiation. e detectors will make the rst global measurements of Earth’s far infrared emissions, a region of the spectrum critical for determining the earth’s heat loss (cooling) through the atmosphere. Far infrared radiation is linked to cooler temperatures due to thermal radiation laws, so colder environments emit less, lower-energy far infrared radiation. is radiation reveals details about polar regions, ice clouds, and water vapor, all a ected by climate change. New measurements will help scientists study how thin, invisible ice clouds in uence Earth’s climate and how climate change alters these clouds, impacting the atmospheric radiation released into space. Scientists will now be able to validate the far-infrared radiation in climate models which could ultimately reduce uncertainty in climate change predictions. Far infrared radiation is de ned as the longer wavelengths of infrared radiation. FORUM, short for ‘Far Infrared Outgoing Radiation Understanding and Monitoring,’ will use Leonardo detectors, developed for Airbus Defence and Space and OHB, to collect far infrared radiation data from satellites, an achievement not previously accomplished according to Leonardo’s Space Programme Manager Sarah Millo. Sarah said: “Far infrared radiation is not usually measured by earth observation satellites, due to limitations of the available detectors for weather monitoring and climate missions. Our detectors fill this gap in climate models, by validating actual far infrared emissions against existing models so that a comparison can be drawn. This is only possible due to the detectors’ broadband of operation which has previously supported the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) on MARS, so it is fantastic to see the technology being used much closer to home.” Airbus was awarded the FORUM satellite prime contract in June 2022, with OHB appointed as instrument subcontractor. Shortly a erwards, Leonardo, Airbus, OHB and ESA entered into a contract to supply the DLaTGS IR detectors. Leonardo’s pyroelectric detectors were designed, built and tested at its facilities in Southampton. ese detectors draw on a long space heritage ranging from the Mars Rover, to more recently the Osiris-Rex mission to the Benu asteroid. Sarah added: “The delivery of these detectors marks a major milestone for FORUM and showcases the very best of European Space collaboration. Through close relationships with Airbus, OHB and ESA, our teams have delivered flight hardware that will be at the heart of the instrument playing a central role in advancing global climate science.” Felice Vanin, European Space Agency (ESA), said: “FORUM will provide a completely new class of measurements that have been missing from our observation system for decades. By capturing the Earth’s far infrared emissions, these detectors enable us to close a critical gap in the planet’s energy budget. This is not just an incremental improvement—it’s a step change in our ability to understand how heat is retained and released in the climate system, ultimately strengthening the accuracy of long-term climate projections.” With detector delivery now complete, Airbus will integrate the units into the mission’s primary instrument, supplied by OHB. FORUM is planned to launch in 2028 on a Vega-C launcher, into a Sun synchronous orbit. e satellite will then collect global measurements of radiation emissions into space.
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