MethaneSAT, developed by a subsidiary of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), is an Earth observation satellite launched on March 4, 2024, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. As a joint American-New Zealand mission, it monitors and measures global methane emissions, particularly from the oil and gas industry, with high precision to help mitigate climate change. MethaneSAT partners include the New Zealand Space Agency, Harvard University, and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and its data is made publicly available via a dedicated website and Google Earth Engine.
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EDF announced plans to develop MethaneSAT in April 2018.
Space Systems Loral will work with DigitalGlobe on its MethaneSAT bid, with DigitalGlobe providing technical input on the satellite’s payload and guidance on the overall mission plan.
EDF announced on 2019-01-10 that Ball Aerospace and Space Systems Loral had received study contracts with an overall value of $1,500,000 to advance MethaneSAT concepts.
EDF plans to choose one of the two companies to build the MethaneSAT spacecraft for launch in 2021.
The Environmental Defense Fund is developing MethaneSAT, a privately developed spacecraft designed to track methane emissions.