Bezos-backed methane-tracking satellite lost in space

WELLINGTON: A satellite backed by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has been lost in space whereas finishing up an necessary local weather change mission, New Zealand officers stated Wednesday.Designed to measure greenhouse gasoline emissions with “unprecedented resolution”, the MethaneSAT space probe was additionally funded by Wellington and the US-based Environmental Defense Fund. Plagued with technical issues, the satellite lately stopped responding to its Earth-bound controllers. “Clearly, this is a disappointing development,” stated Andrew Johnson, a senior official on the New Zealand Space Agency. “As those who work in the space sector know, space is inherently challenging, and every attempt, successful or not, pushes the boundaries of what we know and what we’re capable of.” The environmental protection fund, which led the venture, stated it was “difficult news” however wouldn’t be the top of its methane-tracking efforts. MethaneSAT was designed to measure emissions of the potent greenhouse gasoline, which fuels local weather change by trapping warmth in the planet’s environment. It has confirmed notoriously troublesome to get correct estimates of the methane emissions belched out by oil and gasoline tasks across the globe. “It was one of the most advanced methane tracking satellites in space, measuring methane emissions in oil and gas producing regions across the world,” the MethaneSAT group stated.‘Remarkable’ Project lead Steven Hamburg stated preliminary information gleaned by the satellite was “remarkable”. “Recent measurements in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico revealed emissions three to five times higher than estimated by the US environmental protection agency, while emissions observed in the South Caspian region are over 10 times higher than reported,” Hamburg wrote on LinkedIn. MethaneSAT was launched into space in March 2024 on the again of a SpaceX rocket fired from California. Controllers first lost contact with the satellite on June 20, the MethaneSAT group stated in an announcement. ‘Not recoverable’ They confirmed it had lost all energy on Monday this week and was “likely not recoverable”. “The engineering team is conducting a thorough investigation into the loss of communication,” MethaneSAT stated. “This is expected to take time. We will share what we learn.” Despite its shorter-than-expected lifespan, MethaneSAT hailed the mission as a “remarkable success in terms of scientific and technological accomplishment”.Amazon founder Bezos pumped greater than US$100 million into the venture by means of his philanthropic Earth Fund. The satellite finally succumbed after overcoming a string of technical glitches. It repeatedly entered a sleep, or stand-by, mode with out prompting, forcing engineers to carry out a prolonged reset every time. One of its three thrusters additionally failed.