The COVID-19 pandemic is not only affecting almost every aspect of our daily lives, but also the environment. A German team, led by the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR), now wants to find out how strong these effects are on the atmosphere. Over the next two weeks, as part of the Bluesky research programme, scientists will measure concentrations of trace gases and pollutants in the air over European urban areas and in the flight corridor to North America. The aim of these research missions is to investigate how reduced emissions from industry and transport are changing atmospheric chemistry and physics.