This methane-hunting satellite was built to fight climate change
Meet MethaneSAT — an innovative satellite that’s become a critical part of the fight against climate change.
How? It’s built to locate and measure methane pollution, the greenhouse gas responsible for 30% of the warming we’re experiencing today. As companies and governments institute new rules and practices to cut methane, MethaneSAT tracks and measures methane pollution, from sources large and small, all over the world.
By making its data public, MethaneSAT ensures that polluters anywhere and everywhere are held accountable. Swift reductions in methane pollution are the fastest way to reduce the rate of global warming. When we slow down warming, we reduce the risk of dangerous climate disruptions, such as severe droughts and floods that are already devastating communities.
Scroll down to explore this remarkable satellite, which launched in 2024.
Where does it go?
MethaneSAT circles the globe, pole-to-pole, about every 100 minutes, 366 miles above our heads. It flies over regions that produce 80% of the world’s oil and gas, measuring methane at about 25 target locations each day. To track pollution, it revisits sites every few days.
How big is it?
MethaneSAT is about the size of a washing machine — an 800-pound washing machine with a set of 13-foot wings.
What can it see?
With each pass, MethaneSAT scans a 124-mile wide swath of Earth. It’s the only satellite that sees the whole picture of methane pollution, including millions of small sources around the world that are a huge part of the problem.
Who gets the data?
Anyone with an internet connection. MethaneSAT data is free in order to hold polluters accountable.
MethaneSAT is the only satellite that can see the whole picture of methane pollution. By making this crucial information rapidly available, MethaneSAT is helping companies, governments and advocates speed up emissions cuts, track progress and hold polluters truly accountable.
Hope for a warming planet
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