MethaneSAT

MethaneSAT
Mission type	Climatology
Operator	Environmental Defense Fund; New Zealand Space Agency
Spacecraft properties
Bus	X-Sat
Manufacturer	Blue Canyon Technologies
Launch mass	350 kg (770 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	January 2024 (planned)[1]
Rocket	Falcon 9 Block 5
Launch site	TBA
Contractor	SpaceX
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Sun-synchronous orbit

MethaneSAT is a planned American-New Zealand space mission currently scheduled for launch in January 2024.[1] The mission is planned to be an Earth observation satellite that will monitor and study global methane emissions in order to combat climate change. The spacecraft will carry a high performance spectrometer methane sensing system, which will allow the spacecraft to take high resolution measurements of global methane emissions from roughly 50 major regions across Earth.

The mission is jointly funded and operated by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), an American non-governmental organization, and the New Zealand Space Agency. It marks New Zealand's first space science mission.[2] The Bezos Earth Fund, founded by Jeff Bezos, announced a US$100 million grant to EDF that will support critical work including completion and launch of MethaneSAT. Dr. Sara Mikaloff-Fletcher, a National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) carbon cycle expert, has been named as the mission's lead scientist.[3]

History

The MethaneSAT program was started by MethaneSAT, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), with the goal of providing global high resolution data regarding methane emissions from oil and gas facilities. In January 2020, MethaneSAT announced that the spacecraft will be built using the Blue Canyon Technologies X-SAT satellite bus, with the spacecraft's methane sensing spectrometer being provided by Ball Aerospace & Technologies.[4]

In November 2019, the New Zealand Space Agency (NZSA) joined the program, committing NZ$26 million to the program. Rocket Lab will build and operate the mission control center for the flight in Auckland, New Zealand.[5] NZSA will also take part in launch operations and may contribute to the scientific payload.[6]

Ball Aerospace and Blue Canyon Technologies completed an intensive technology review of their respective contributions to the mission in early 2020.[7]

On 13 January 2021, the nonprofit MethaneSAT LLC announced that it had signed a contract with SpaceX to deliver the 350 kg MethaneSAT into orbit aboard a Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle with a launch window opening on 1 October 2022.[8] Dr. Steven Hamburg, MethaneSAT project co-lead stated: "SpaceX offers the readiness and reliability we need to deliver our instrument into orbit and begin streaming emissions data as soon as possible. We couldn't ask for a more capable launch partner".[8]

References

Powell, Alvin (24 March 2023). "Buying crucial time in climate change fight". The Harvard Gazette. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
"About MethaneSAT". MethaneSAT LLC. Environmental Defense Fund. November 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
"Lead scientist named for MethaneSAT team". Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
Henry, Caleb (6 January 2020). "Blue Canyon Technologies to build its largest satellite to date for MethaneSAT". SpaceNews. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
"Rocket Lab To Develop Mission Operations Control Center For MethaneSAT Climate Monitoring Satellite". Rocket Lab USA. 22 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
"New Zealand joins MethaneSAT climate mission in space". Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. 7 November 2019. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
"MethaneSAT Instrument, Orbital Platform Clear Key Design Milestone". MethaneSAT LLC. Environmental Defense Fund. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
Mathewson, Samantha (13 January 2021). "MethaneSAT picks SpaceX for satellite launch to track methane levels in Earth's atmosphere". Space.com. Retrieved 13 January 2021.

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[thg-20230324-1] Powell, Alvin (24 March 2023). "Buying crucial time in climate change fight". The Harvard Gazette. Retrieved 27 March 2023.

[2] "About MethaneSAT". MethaneSAT LLC. Environmental Defense Fund. November 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2021.

[3] "Lead scientist named for MethaneSAT team". Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2021.

[4] Henry, Caleb (6 January 2020). "Blue Canyon Technologies to build its largest satellite to date for MethaneSAT". SpaceNews. Retrieved 13 January 2021.

[5] "Rocket Lab To Develop Mission Operations Control Center For MethaneSAT Climate Monitoring Satellite". Rocket Lab USA. 22 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.

[6] "New Zealand joins MethaneSAT climate mission in space". Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. 7 November 2019. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2021.

[7] "MethaneSAT Instrument, Orbital Platform Clear Key Design Milestone". MethaneSAT LLC. Environmental Defense Fund. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2021.

[space-20210113-8] Mathewson, Samantha (13 January 2021). "MethaneSAT picks SpaceX for satellite launch to track methane levels in Earth's atmosphere". Space.com. Retrieved 13 January 2021.