Methane Satellites 101: More Eyes Take to the Skies - RMI

This guide by RMI explains the role of a new generation of satellite missions, particularly those led by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in monitoring and quantifying methane emissions globally to accelerate climate action.

• Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that causes more immediate climate and public health damage than carbon dioxide, described as being equivalent to wrapping the earth in "over 80 blankets" if CO2 is one.
• Methane emissions are difficult to track because they are invisible, odorless, and vary in nature, ranging from persistent sources like landfills to intermittent events like gas flares, or from concentrated "super-emitter" events to diffused emissions over large areas.
• A new wave of NGO-led satellite missions is emerging to provide more actionable and granular data than government or commercial operators. MethaneSAT, launched in early March by the Environmental Defense Fund, is the first NGO satellite. Carbon Mapper, a coalition including RMI, Planet Labs, and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, plans to launch a hyperspectral satellite later in 2024 to detect high emissions point sources with high precision.
• Satellites use spectrometers to identify methane by detecting a specific signature pattern of light absorption on the infrared spectrum at a particular wavelength.
• The global methane monitoring landscape includes various capabilities: area flux monitors for continent-level views and point source monitors for specific leaks. Future launches include the European Space Agency's Sentinel-5 in 2024, the CO2M satellite in 2025, and the French-German partnership MERLIN in 2027.

APA

RMI (2024). Methane Satellites 101: More Eyes Take to the Skies - RMI. https://rmi.org/resources/methane-satellites-101-more-eyes-take-to-the-skies/

Chicago

RMI. Methane Satellites 101: More Eyes Take to the Skies - RMI. 2024. https://rmi.org/resources/methane-satellites-101-more-eyes-take-to-the-skies/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Methane Satellites 101: More Eyes Take to the Skies - RMI |date=26 March 2024 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/methane-satellites-101-more-eyes-take-to-the-skies/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2024methane, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Methane Satellites 101: More Eyes Take to the Skies - RMI}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/methane-satellites-101-more-eyes-take-to-the-skies/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }