SpaceX launched a new methane-detecting satellite in August, and it could be the first of many if the nonprofit behind it, CarbonMapper, has its way.
As Bloomberg reports, the Tanager-1 is the second of its kind launched by a nonprofit this year. The Environmental Defense Fund sent off its own in March.
The Tanager-1 features impressive capabilities with a size no bigger than a mini-fridge, per Bloomberg. The satellite can identify methane pollution within 50 meters, which allows Carbon Mapper to identify individual polluters. It will hover a few hundred miles above the Earth.
Bloomberg notes the surveillance's targets will be the biggest polluters, like oil and gas wells, livestock operations, and landfills. The goal is to scale to a fleet of more than 10 satellites, which would allow CarbonMapper to attain 90% global coverage with minimal time gaps.
The growing focus on methane is for a good reason. Methane's heating power on the planet is up to 80 times more than carbon dioxide over the first 20 years. Methane pollution also went up in 2023 nearing record highs, according to an International Energy Agency (IEA) report.
On the positive side, the IEA writes that the biggest methane-polluting countries, such as the United States, are making major commitments that could stem the tide and align with the 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit global warming limit goal. That's where accountability to those promises comes in.
Satellites have the potential to point government regulators to unexpected methane plumes. That could be important for public safety and for holding polluters to account. Additionally, it may allow consumers to identify gas providers who are more prone to methane leaks, incentivizing providers to literally clean up their act.
Harvard professor Daniel Jacob, an expert in atmospheric chemistry, expressed cautious optimism about the launch to Bloomberg while praising its cost-effectiveness and capabilities.
He noted the technology "feels a bit exotic" to regulators like those within the EPA, who prefer more primitive handheld devices. Jacob says that's an "awful" way to measure pollution, but more readily understandable.
Still, Carbon Mapper CEO Riley Duren noted that their aerial pollution surveys turn up tons of unspotted methane leaks to regulators and that satellites can expand their reach.
"In nearly 50% of the cases, more than half of what we were seeing was unknown to them," Duren said. "We want to scale up that action globally," he added.
With the global surveillance afforded by the satellites, he'll have his wish soon.
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