. 24/7 Space News .
EARTH OBSERVATION
MethaneSAT completes critical design review, moves into production phase
by Staff Writers
San Francisco CA (SPX) Sep 21, 2020

MethaneSAT is a subsidiary of EDF, which has a long record of working with both business and policymakers to create innovative, science-based solutions to critical environmental challenges. EDF also organized an unprecedented series of 16 independent studies that produced more than 35 peer-reviewed scientific papers involving more than 150 academic and industry experts to assess methane emissions at every stage in the U.S. oil and gas supply chain.

MethaneSAT has reached an important new milestone with completion of the Critical Design Review (CDR) phase for both the mission's remote sensing instrument and the spacecraft platform "bus" that will provide power and maneuvering, and transmit the vast stream of data from the high resolution sensors to ground stations. Completion of the CDR means that MethaneSAT is now entering the production stage with a design that exceeds anticipated capabilities.

"This is a complex, technically challenging mission driven by the profound urgency of climate change. An intensive design process up front ensures that we can move quickly, and get it right," said Cassandra Ely, Director at MethaneSAT LLC. "The result is a more powerful measurement tool than even we thought possible. MethaneSAT is now moving from the drawing boards and onto the assembly floor."

Unique capabilities
MethaneSAT will fill a crucial gap in current technology. Existing satellites can either identify large methane sources and quantify emissions across broad regions, or provide sensitive measurements from smaller, highly targeted locations. MethaneSAT will provide much higher sensitivity and spatial resolution than today's global mappers, with a far wider field of view than point-source systems.

The 350 kilogram satellite will cover a 260-kilometer (162-mile) field of view. The high-resolution sensor means it can observe areas as small as 100 x 400 meters (110 x 440 yards), with the ability to accurately differences in methane levels as small as two parts per billion.

In addition to the orbital instrument, MethaneSAT is also developing a sophisticated new platform to quickly process and transform the vast stream of data sent back by the satellite, automating complex analytics that currently take scientists weeks or months, creating a steady flow of actionable, accessible information in a variety of packages and formats tailored to enable industry, regulators and the public to track emissions, and document reductions.

"The ability to generate very precise, high-resolution measurements like these on a near-weekly basis opens up a world of new opportunities to reduce the rate at which our planet is warming," said Mark Brownstein, Senior Vice President of Energy at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), the non-profit parent organization of MethaneSAT LLC. "A continuous stream of fresh data will help operators find and fix problems faster, at less cost. It will enable governments and empower the public to see whether methane emissions are being managed effectively. And it will be a critical tool for investors and other stakeholders concerned about the risk of climate change."

Painstaking process
The CDR involved over 70 engineers and scientists, working virtually due to the COVID-19 situation. In addition to Ball Aerospace, the primary flight system Integrator and instrument provider, and Blue Canyon Technologies, which is supplying the platform bus, the exhaustive review included mission partners at Harvard University and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO). Harvard and SAO are providing the Science Data Processing element of the mission.

The review also included more than 20 leading experts who make up MethaneSAT's Technical Advisory Group, headed by Joe Rothenberg, former director of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and the project's Science Advisory Group, led by Dr. Dan McCleese, former chief scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

MethaneSAT is a subsidiary of EDF, which has a long record of working with both business and policymakers to create innovative, science-based solutions to critical environmental challenges. EDF also organized an unprecedented series of 16 independent studies that produced more than 35 peer-reviewed scientific papers involving more than 150 academic and industry experts to assess methane emissions at every stage in the U.S. oil and gas supply chain.

The idea for MethaneSAT was first unveiled by EDF President Fred Krupp in an April 2018 TED Talk, as one of the inaugural group of world-changing ideas selected for seed funding by the Audacious Project, successor to the TED Prize.


Related Links
MethaneSAT
Earth Observation News - Suppiliers, Technology and Application


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


EARTH OBSERVATION
Emissions pioneer GHGSat secures US$30m in Series B funding
Montreal, Canada (SPX) Sep 11, 2020
GHGSat, the global leader in high-resolution greenhouse gas monitoring from space, has successfully completed the first tranche of Series B funding, raising US$30m and more than doubling the total amount raised since GHGSat was founded to over US$55m. This latest funding has secured the growth trajectory of the company, enabling it to accelerate construction of its unique fleet of emissions detecting satellites and deployment of analytics to key markets. Led by the Government of Quebec's Investiss ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

EARTH OBSERVATION
ISS may need to evade US Military cubesat

NASA Goddard's first virtual interns reflect on their summer experience

Backbone of a spacecraft for missions to deep space

NASA declines seat on Russia's Soyuz for US astronaut ISS flight

EARTH OBSERVATION
Fiery Blast After Astra Rocket Launch Fail in Kodiak

Gilmour Space to launch Space Machines Company on first Eris rocket

India eyes hypersonic cruise missile with domestically-made scramjet engine

Rocket Lab Granted FAA Operator License for Missions from Launch Complex 2

EARTH OBSERVATION
Using chitin to manufacture tools and shelters on Mars

China's Mars probe travels 137 mln km

ERC Space and Robotics Event 2020

The ERC 2020 shows how to adapt in a post-pandemic world

EARTH OBSERVATION
Chinese spacecraft launched mystery object into space before returning to Earth

China's reusable spacecraft returns to Earth after 2 days

Mars-bound Tianwen 1 hits milestone

China's Mars probe over 8m km away from Earth

EARTH OBSERVATION
COMSAT expands hardware footprint with new Orbit Communications Systems agreement

GMV announces the merger of its UK Company and NSL

Wanted: your ideas for ESA's future space missions

Satellogic launches 11th satellite to low-earth orbit

EARTH OBSERVATION
Physicists make electrical nanolasers even smaller

Slippery when wet: Fish, seaweed to help cargo ships reduce fluid friction

PlayStation 5 launch sets up Xbox head-to-head

Northrop's 'life extension' spacecraft heads to the rescue

EARTH OBSERVATION
Scientists find gas on Venus linked to life on Earth

A warm Jupiter orbiting a cool star

Carbon-rich exoplanets may be made of diamonds

AI used to show how hydrogen becomes a metal inside giant planets

EARTH OBSERVATION
Astronomers characterize Uranian moons using new imaging analysis

Jupiter's moons could be warming each other

Atomistic modelling probes the behavior of matter at the center of Jupiter

Technology ready to explore subsurface oceans on Ganymede









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.