MethaneSAT was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon9 rocket from California, USA.
About MethaneSAT:
- MethaneSAT is an Earth observation satellite designed to track and measure methane emissions globally, offering more detailed observations with a significantly wider field of view compared to its predecessors.
- The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a US-based nonprofit environmental advocacy group, is leading the project, in collaboration with Harvard University, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and the New Zealand Space Agency.
- It will orbit Earth 15 times a day, specifically monitoring the oil and gas sector, to generate a comprehensive dataset indicating “how much methane is coming from where, who’s responsible, and are those emissions going up or down over time”.
- The data collected will be publicly available for free in near real-time, enabling stakeholders and regulators to take informed actions to reduce methane emissions.
Features of MethaneSAT:
- Equipped with a high-resolution infrared sensor and a spectrometer, it can detect methane concentration differences as small as three parts per billion in the atmosphere.
- This capability allows it to identify smaller emission sources previously undetectable by other satellites.
- It features a wide-camera view of about 200 km by 200 km, enabling it to pinpoint large methane emitters, known as “super emitters”.
- The collected data will be analyzed using cloud-computing and AI technology developed by Google, a mission partner, and made accessible through Google’s Earth Engine platform.
Need:
- Methane is an invisible, potent greenhouse gas, second only to carbon dioxide in contributing to global warming.
- It is responsible for 30% of global heating since the Industrial Revolution.
- Methane is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide at warming the Earth over a 20-year period. (United Nations Environment Programme)
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