It is generally classified as a minisatellite, and is the first dedicated carbon mission of the Chinese space program.

[1] The mission was formally proposed in 2010, and work began in January 2011.

[3] TanSat carries two instruments: the Carbon Dioxide Spectrometer and the Cloud and Aerosol Polarimetry Imager.

The Cloud and Aerosol Polarimetry Imager (CAPI) is a wide-field, moderate-resolution, imaging spectrometer which works in concert with CDS by compensating for measurement errors caused by clouds and aerosols.

This article about one or more spacecraft of the People's Republic of China is a stub.