MethaneSAT
Non-profit methane-monitoring mission whose satellite was lost in June 2025; the team continues to analyze and publish the data collected.
Overview
MethaneSAT is a non-profit subsidiary of the Environmental Defense Fund that launched a satellite in March 2024 to detect and quantify methane emissions from oil and gas operations worldwide. Contact with the satellite was lost in June 2025 and it was not recovered, ending observations after just over a year in orbit. The organization continues to process the data it collected, supported by aircraft surveys, and publishes emissions findings for researchers and policymakers.
AI Outlook
MethaneSAT uses AI and machine learning algorithms to process the imagery its satellite collected before it was lost in 2025 and to quantify methane emissions across oil and gas basins.