"MethaneSAT, which its builders say is the most advanced methane-imaging satellite ever put in orbit, sought to globally map, then track emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide. Their aim is to spur action to plug leaks, initially from the oil and gas industry, as a way to significantly lower near-term warming of the atmosphere. The satellite's main instrument, a highly sensitive spectrometer that can detect methane sources from space with unparalleled precision."
"We monitor the satellite Operations Slack channel and that Friday, June 20, there was a note that it had failed to make a contact. That's not so unusual, because a cosmic ray event or a solar storm can cause a glitch. The satellite is supposed to reboot and go into safe mode: It takes in light on its solar panel and waits for instruction."
MethaneSAT lost contact with Earth on June 20 and is presumed lost after onboard watchdog systems failed to reboot the spacecraft. The satellite carried a highly sensitive spectrometer designed to map and track methane emissions globally with unprecedented precision. The mission aimed to identify methane leaks, especially from the oil and gas industry, to enable targeted mitigation and reduce near-term atmospheric warming. Operators saw initial communication failures that did not resolve through normal safe-mode procedures, suggesting a power loss. Despite the presumed loss, data already collected are sufficient to map potent methane sources and inform emissions-reduction efforts.
Read at Harvard Gazette
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