Methane-tracking satellite backed by Bezos lost in space

An $88 million (€77.4 million) satellite backed by Jeff Bezos has disappeared in space whereas conducting a local weather change mission, New Zealand officers mentioned on Wednesday.MethaneSAT, which was designed to guage greenhouse fuel emissions with “unprecedented resolution,” was additionally funded by Wellington and the US-based Environmental Defense Fund. However, the satellite was plagued with technical issues and lately stopped responding to its Earth-bound controllers.“Clearly, this is a disappointing development,” mentioned 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.”Project not in useless, EDF argues:The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), which was in cost of the venture, mentioned it was “difficult news” however wouldn’t relent in its efforts to trace methane.“We’re seeing this as a setback, not a failure,” Amy Middleton, senior vp on the EDF, informed the Reuters information company. “We’ve made so much progress and so much has been learned that if we hadn’t taken this risk, we wouldn’t have any of these learnings.”The launch of MethaneSAT in March of final yr was a milestone in a years-long marketing campaign to carry some 120 international locations accountable to their 2021 pledge to curb methane emissions.It additionally sought to assist implement an additional pledge from 50 oil and fuel corporations made on the Dubai COP28 local weather summit in December 2023 to remove methane and routine fuel flaring.Methane is a potent greenhouse fuel, with 80 occasions the warming energy of carbon dioxide over a 20-year interval.Scientists say capping leaks from oil and fuel wells and tools is, due to this fact, one of many quickest methods to start out tackling world warming.The EDF had acquired a $100 million funding enhance from the Bezos Earth Fund in 2020 and acquired different monetary help from Arnold Ventures, the Robertson Foundation and the TED Audacious Project and EDF donors. The mission was additionally carried out in partnership with the New Zealand Space Agency.