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The $ 88 million satellite suddenly remained silent to a five-year mission.
A $ 88 million satellite supported by billionaire jeff bezos is lost in space. Methanesat, designed to demolish the sources of methane emissions in the world, was survived before the end of his orbit in a 30-month orbit in a 15-month orbit.
Satellite Starting Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in March 2024, declared His death on July 1. The organization methanesat was silent on June 20, and the Mission Operations team could not contact again. Now they believe the satellite has lost its strength. Steven Hamburg, EDF President and Methanesat Mission Leader, tell The science did not have a previous sign of the problem. “It’s not one of my better days or weeks,” he said.
When the methanesat started, EDF promised to be “game change” to track planetary warming methane emissions touching these strong greenhouse gas regulators. In some ways, it happened. For more than a year, the sources of industrial sources of satellite methane emissions – primarily the Pinpoint sources of the oil and gas industry. This greenhouse gas is incredibly strong, holding 28 times more heat in the land atmosphere for a period of 100 years Environmental Protection Agency.
Experts know primarily methane waste hull Division of agricultural, fossil fuel production and landfill, but the point sources are difficult to find and measure individually. Methanesat, Jeff Bezos has developed with the help of a $ 100 million grant from the Earth Fund, facilitates it. Other satellites, for example, in the Sentinel-5 of the European Space Agency, methane map, the most modern spectrometers of methanesat can discover small emissions in all oil and gas fields. At the same time, the methane “leaks” reset the high-resolution images and reset the unprecedented precision.
“Thanks to Methanesat, we have achieved a critical view of methane distribution and volume of methane oil and gas production.” “We also developed an unprecedented ability to interpret the measurements from space and translate them into abandoned methane. This power will be valuable for other missions.”
Still, the completion of the methanesat’s operational days is a big bummer. In five years in this satellite, he had to live in orbit 15 times a day to live in orbit in orbit in orbit. It would make both companies and regulators easier to follow and regulate waste. The information also exists stakeholders, including citizens, governments, investors and gas importers.
EDF hopes the satellite inheritance to be experienced. “EDF and Methanesat, the information is firmly set on our main goal for moving information to protect data from the global oil and gas industry.” EDF plans to release the information from the satellite information, additional images of regional methane emissions from fossil fuel production in the coming months. The group will also work with global partners to provide an algorithm and related software to access the observations, as well as high-precision technology. Other satellites can use these assets to fill the space methane.
EDF did not share plans to start another satellite. “We will take a break,” Hamburg said. “It is clear that we have lost loss.” “I have a large group of people who put the heart and soul to what many people say.” I hope the success of Methanesat encourages other innovative mission. “The climate requires courage and risk to resolve the call, and this satellite was on the leading edge of science, technology and advocacy.”
