A coalition using technology developed by NASA and backed by philanthropists including former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg will launch on Friday the first in a series of satellites that will detect leaks of the planet-warming gas methane from space.
Why is this important?
This launch, on a SpaceX Transporter-11 rideshare mission, marks a milestone for the Carbon Mappers Coalition, which was formed in 2021. The partnership includes NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, satellite firm Planet Labs, RMI, and Arizona State University, with financial support from the High Tide Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, the Zeger Family Foundation, and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.
The satellite, called Tanager-1, will be able to detect methane leaks from individual facilities such as oil refineries and landfills. The technology is intended to help polluting industries detect and prevent leaks, and the data will be available through a public online portal.
Carbon Mapper plans to launch additional satellites that together will be able to detect 90% of the world’s large methane plumes daily.
Scientists say identifying methane sources is crucial to achieving deep emissions cuts to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
Key Quotes
“There is more momentum than ever to take action on climate,” Richard Lawrence, founder of the High Tide Foundation, said in a statement. “But a lack of public and private investment in global methane and CO2 monitoring has created gaps that have left many emissions untracked and unaddressed.”
By number
In its first 20 years in the atmosphere, methane is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
“Super-emitters,” or sources that emit more than 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of methane per hour, contribute anywhere from 20% to 60% of a region’s total emissions in some areas, said Riley Duren, chief executive of Carbon Mapper.
SpaceX will launch the satellite from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The 53-minute window for the launch will open at 11:20 a.m. local time (1820 GMT).
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