Bridging the gap
MethaneSAT will find and measure methane emissions with unparalleled precision - including emissions that other satellites simply can’t see.
Global Mapping
MethaneSAT will be able to estimate emissions from entire basins.
Area mapping
It will quantify regional-scale methane emissions from oil and gas operations worldwide down to areas of ~1 km2, detecting methane from thousands of small, diffuse sources.
Local mapping
It will identify and quantify emissions from large, intermittent sources over 500 kg/hr.
Analysis
MethaneSAT will process observed spectrographic data to calculate quantitative emission rates, revealing how much methane is emitted and how it varies across the landscape.
MethaneSAT analytics are developed with much lower latency than for other satellites. Our groundbreaking analytics will track emissions based on winds and atmospheric conditions, determining location and volume from individual point sources, as well as cumulative emissions across larger areas. Stakeholders and the public will be able to access the results freely, in a timely manner.
Action
MethaneSAT is specifically designed to catalyze methane reductions by creating unprecedented transparency.
Our data platform will be accessible free of charge. The cloud-based data platform means fast turnaround, providing key insights in an actionable timeframe. That means anyone - regulators, investors, buyers and the public – will now be able to see and compare emissions results by company, country or production basin.
Officials and operators around the world will be able to find and fix problems faster, while stakeholders can see and compare progress against goals, commitments, and legal obligations.
| Capability | Specification |
|---|---|
| Capability Create high-resolution emissions heatmap of area sources (or spatially distributed emissions) | Specification Heatmaps of 1 km2 areas across targets that are 200 km x 200 km, with a native pixel size of 100m x 400m |
| Capability Quantify total regional emissions | Specification Emissions from individual oil/gas fields/basins accounting for more than 80% of global oil and gas production |
| Capability Automate computations used to measure emission rates, cutting a process that can take months down to days | Specification Actionable emission rate data will be accessible in a few days |
| Capability Broad area coverage | Specification Orbit Earth in 95 minutes, with a swath width of 200 km |
| Capability Point source attribution | Specification Trace larger single emission events over 500 kg/hr back to their point source |
| Capability Quantify methane concentrations with high precision | Specification Detect excess methane at 3 ppb (highest precision compared to other satellites in orbit) |
| Capability Transparency | Specification Free public data access |
Two Passive Infrared Littrow Spectrometers
| Wavelengths | 1249 – 1305 nm | 1598 – 1683 nm |
|---|---|---|
| Wavelengths Target species | 1249 – 1305 nm O₂ | 1598 – 1683 nm CH₄ / CO₂ |
| Wavelengths Spectral resolution / sampling | 1249 – 1305 nm 0.20 nm / 0.06 nm | 1598 – 1683 nm 0.25 nm / 0.08 nm |
| Wavelengths Signal to noise ratio | 1249 – 1305 nm 190 | 1598 – 1683 nm 190 |
| Wavelengths Detector | 1249 – 1305 nm HgCdTe 2k x 2k | 1598 – 1683 nm HgCdTe 2k x 2k |
| Wavelengths Payload / Observatory mass | 1249 – 1305 nm 183 kg / 362 kg | 1598 – 1683 nm 183 kg / 362 kg |
| Wavelengths Orbit altitude | 1249 – 1305 nm 590 km | 1598 – 1683 nm 590 km |
| Wavelengths Field of view / swath width | 1249 – 1305 nm 21 deg / 200 km | 1598 – 1683 nm 21 deg / 200 km |
| Wavelengths Ground sampling distance | 1249 – 1305 nm 100 m across track X 400 m along track | 1598 – 1683 nm 100 m across track X 400 m along track |
How We're Different
Some satellites can track methane on a global scale but can't detect emissions from countless smaller sources responsible for much of the total. Others provide excellent data from known sites with larger emissions but can’t see beyond small areas.
With high precision and a wide view path, MethaneSAT will track emission rates and locations and show how those emissions are changing over time - making it easier to track performance and prioritize solutions.