MethaneSAT

MethaneSAT LLC is a subsidiary of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a US non-profit environmental organization, that developed and operated MethaneSAT — the first satellite designed, funded, and operated by an environmental non-governmental organization. MethaneSAT was launched on March 4, 2024 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, equipped with a high-performance spectrometer to measure methane emissions from oil and gas fields globally with unprecedented sensitivity and coverage. The satellite could detect methane concentrations from entire oilfields and small diffuse emission sources across approximately 50 major oil and gas production regions covering more than 80% of global production. MethaneSAT data was made publicly available to enable accountability for methane emissions reductions. The mission concluded on June 20, 2025, when the operations team lost contact with the satellite, having delivered groundbreaking data showing that methane emissions from oil and gas basins worldwide substantially exceed official inventory estimates. The mission was supported by the New Zealand Space Agency and partners including Harvard University and Google.