A U.S.-based NGO is preparing to launch a methane-tracking satellite, which will provide the first truly global picture of emissions from the potent greenhouse gas and help hold climate polluters accountable.
About the size of a domestic washing machine, MethaneSAT is the most advanced satellite designed to pinpoint methane emissions with unprecedented precision. The Environmental Defense Fund is expected to launch MethaneSAT into space Monday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Methane is a short-lived greenhouse gas with more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide, accelerating heating in the near term. Global methane emissions are responsible for around 30% of the rise in global temperatures since pre-industrial times, and the largest contributor to climate warming after carbon dioxide.
About the author
Chloé Farand
Chloé Farand is a freelance climate reporter.
