MethaneSAT — A Watchdog in Space to Spot Whiffs of Methane
MethaneSAT carries a high-performance spectrometer-based methane sensing system. Shown here is the satellite and instrument fully integrated.
Image credit: Ball Aerospace.
Early next year, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is launching its own spacecraft, MethaneSAT – a name that is exact about what this satellite is seeking.
Methane is a troublesome gas. While far less abundant in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, it is 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide in entrapping heat over a 100-year time period. Furthermore, methane affects air quality because it contributes to ground-level ozone, a hazardous air pollutant.
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