Methane-Tracking Satellite Lost

The $88 million MethaneSAT, backed by Jeff Bezos, and designed to monitor methane emissions, has been lost in space after going off course approximately 10 days ago. The satellite, launched in March 2024, was last located over Svalbard, Norway, and has lost power, making recovery unlikely. The mission aimed to track methane leaks from oil and gas sites globally, supporting climate pledges made by over 120 countries in 2021 and 50 companies at COP28.

MethaneSAT provided detailed data on emission sources and partnered with Google to create a public global emissions map. Despite the setback, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) considers the mission a success due to the progress and learnings achieved. The EDF has notified relevant federal agencies and is investigating the cause of the failure.

Funded by the Bezos Earth Fund and other organisations, the project also involved the New Zealand Space Agency. While other methane-tracking satellites exist, MethaneSAT offered higher detail and wide-area coverage. The EDF will continue methane-tracking efforts using aircraft equipped with spectrometers.