A spacecraft will on Friday be launched towards Malta’s stratosphere to snap photos of marine life and vegetation, documenting the island’s changing climate and light pollution.

Weather permitting, the historic launch can be followed live online at 5.30pm.

Kristian Zarb Adami, from the Department of Physics, told Times of Malta the spacecraft will be attached to a balloon, which will float up some 37 kilometres into the stratosphere.

On its way up, it will snap images not only in the regular RGB format, but also in ultraviolet and infrared modes, allowing for studies into life in the atmosphere and climate in the stratosphere.

Once the pressure becomes too much for the balloon, it will burst and the airborne spacecraft will parachute its way down to the sea, from where it will be retrieved by the Armed Forces of Malta.

The whole process should take around three hours and will be repeated in the coming months so that researchers can measure, for example, changes in temperature in particular locations and the process of desertification.

Research ministry funds doctorate

The Ministry for Research and Innovation, which is sponsoring the stratospheric launch, is also funding a doctorate scholarship to ensure long-term research.

Minister Owen Bonnici told Times of Malta the event was another first for the island: "We are working towards the development of more human capital in the space sector, and we look forward to introducing further opportunities for industrial and educational institutions to participate in.”

He said this project was also aimed at engaging the young generation and increasing its interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects, space research in particular.

On Monday, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that the 1.5˚C temperature increase limit of the Paris Agreement would likely be breached around 2030 – a decade earlier than it itself projected just three years ago.

The landmark report painted a picture of five future scenarios based on how much the world manages to reduce carbon emissions. In the worst-case scenario, the world could be around 3.3˚C hotter than now by the end of the century.

Malta's first stratospheric launch is being organised by the Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy.

The event is being held in collaboration with the Department of Physics and the Science in the City festival.

More information on physics.sci@um.edu.mt or here.