Japan's GOSAT heads for the heavens. Credit: REUTERS/KYODO

Japan successfully launched its Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) on 23 January, to monitor levels of methane, water vapour, ozone and carbon dioxide. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency says that data from the satellite will provide details about the global distribution and seasonal variations of these gases, helping to refine climate-change predictions.

On 23 February, GOSAT will be joined by NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, which will generate complementary data on the sources of carbon dioxide emissions (see _Nature_ 450, 785–786; 2007).