Measuring Solfatara

Hosted at ESA BIC Harwell, UK startup Mirico develop instruments for trace gas analysis that deliver laboratory-standard performance in a highly compact, field-deployable unit. The technology is a direct spin-off from space research focused on developing spectroscopic techniques for Earth observation and planetary landers at STFC’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Space division. Here, the company is using the instrument to measure the sulphurous fumes at Solfatara, a shallow volcanic crater at Pozzuoli, near Naples in Italy and part of the Campi Flegrei volcanic area.