Bezos-Backed Methane-Tracking Satellite Suffers Mission-Ending Failure in Orbit

WELLINGTON: A climate change monitoring satellite, financially supported by Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos, has been declared lost in space, according to officials in New Zealand. The probe was designed to provide high-resolution measurements of greenhouse gas emissions.

The MethaneSAT, a joint project between Wellington and the US-based Environmental Defense Fund, ceased communication with its controllers on Earth after a series of technical malfunctions.

Andrew Johnson, a senior official at the New Zealand Space Agency, acknowledged the setback. "Clearly, this is a disappointing development," Johnson stated. He also noted that the space sector is inherently challenging, and every attempt contributes to expanding our knowledge and capabilities, regardless of success.

The Environmental Defense Fund, the project's leader, expressed disappointment but affirmed its commitment to methane-tracking endeavors.

MethaneSAT was specifically engineered to measure emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that significantly contributes to climate change by trapping heat within the Earth's atmosphere. Obtaining precise estimates of methane emissions from global oil and gas operations has proven difficult.

The MethaneSAT team highlighted the satellite's advanced capabilities in monitoring methane emissions in oil and gas producing regions worldwide.

Initial Data Showed Promising Results

Steven Hamburg, the project lead, described the initial data collected by the satellite as "remarkable."

Hamburg noted on LinkedIn that recent measurements in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico revealed emissions three to five times higher than estimates from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Emissions observed in the South Caspian region were over 10 times higher than reported.

Launched in March 2024 aboard a SpaceX rocket from California, controllers first lost contact with the satellite on June 20, according to the MethaneSAT team.

Loss Deemed Irreversible

This week, the team confirmed that the satellite had lost all power and was "likely not recoverable."

"The engineering team is conducting a thorough investigation into the loss of communication," MethaneSAT stated, promising to share their findings.

Despite its premature end, the MethaneSAT team considers the mission a "remarkable success in terms of scientific and technological accomplishment."

Bezos, through his Earth Fund, invested over US$100 million in the project.

The satellite faced several technical issues before its eventual failure, including repeatedly entering sleep mode without prompting and a failure of one of its three thrusters.