Meet MethaneSAT, a satellite which will ‘name and shame’ methane emitters

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Space technology

Context:

MethaneSAT, a satellite designed to monitor and quantify methane emissions globally, was launched on a SpaceX Falcon9 rocket from California on March 4. Although not the first of its kind, this washing-machine-sized satellite surpasses its predecessors in providing more detailed information and possessing a significantly broader field of view.

Why do we need to track and measure methane emissions?

Methane, a potent greenhouse gas and the second largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide is responsible for 30% of global heating since the Industrial Revolution.
It is 80 times more effective at trapping heat compared to carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, as per the United Nations Environment Programme.
Additionally, methane contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone, a harmful gas that can lead to one million premature deaths annually according to a 2022 report.
The primary source of human-caused methane emissions, making up about 40% of the total, comes from fossil fuel operations.
MethaneSAT aims to address this critical issue by targeting and helping to reduce methane emissions globally.

What is MethanSAT?

MethaneSAT is a satellite project initiated by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a US-based nonprofit environmental advocacy group, in collaboration with Harvard University, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and the New Zealand Space Agency.
Its mission is to orbit the Earth 15 times daily to specifically monitor methane emissions from the oil and gas sector.
The satellite will generate extensive data detailing the volume of methane emissions, their sources, the responsible parties, and the temporal trends of these emissions.
This initiative aims to provide critical insights into methane emission patterns, facilitating targeted efforts to reduce the environmental impact of these potent greenhouse gases.

Features of MethaneSAT:

MethaneSAT is designed to enhance the detection and tracking of methane emissions, addressing the limitations faced by existing satellites in measuring and identifying methane sources accurately.
It is equipped with a high-resolution infrared sensor and a spectrometer, enabling it to detect subtle differences in methane concentrations as low as three parts per billion.
This capability allows MethaneSAT to identify smaller methane emission sources that have been challenging to track with previous technologies. Furthermore, its wide-camera view spans approximately 200 km by 200 km, which aids in the identification of both smaller sources and larger, “super emitter” sources of methane emissions.

Significance:

The significance of MethaneSAT lies in its potential to bridge critical data gaps highlighted by discrepancies between actual methane emissions and those reported by national governments; an International Energy Agency (IEA) report suggests that global methane emissions are about 70% higher than national reports indicate.
The data collected by MethaneSAT will be processed using advanced cloud-computing and AI technology developed by Google, a mission partner.
This processed data will be publicly available through Google’s Earth Engine platform, ensuring broad access to the information needed to tackle methane emissions more effectively.

Source: IE