Why our methane-detecting satellite showed it's time for climate action to aim sky-high

The author describes the impact of MethaneSAT, a satellite designed to hold methane polluters accountable, which achieved high-precision measurements before permanently losing communication with controllers. Despite the loss of the hardware, the author asserts that the project's data and developed algorithms provide a blueprint for using private-sector and non-profit innovation to drive climate action, especially in the face of rolling back US federal climate science and policy.

• MethaneSAT was launched in 2024 to measure climate pollution and hold companies and countries accountable, with a specific objective to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 75% by the end of 2030.
• The satellite's instrument demonstrated the ability to measure methane concentrations over wide areas with a precision capable of tracking differences as small as two parts per billion, including data on small sources that constitute the majority of methane pollution.
• Although the satellite permanently lost communication with controllers after one year in space, it produced breakthrough algorithms and software for efficient data processing that remain available for future efforts.
• The author highlights a growing need for non-profit and private sector innovation due to the US government's reduction of climate information access, specifically citing the Trump administration's shutdown of the US Global Change Research Program’s website and Congressional efforts to cut federal science support and clean-energy investments.

APA

Krupp, F. (2025). Why our methane-detecting satellite showed it's time for climate action to aim sky-high. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/methane-satellite-climate-action-solutions/

Chicago

Krupp, Fred. Why our methane-detecting satellite showed it's time for climate action to aim sky-high. World Economic Forum, 2025. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/methane-satellite-climate-action-solutions/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Krupp |first1=Fred |title=Why our methane-detecting satellite showed it's time for climate action to aim sky-high |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=15 July 2025 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/methane-satellite-climate-action-solutions/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{krupp2025why, author = {Krupp, Fred}, title = {{Why our methane-detecting satellite showed it's time for climate action to aim sky-high}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/methane-satellite-climate-action-solutions/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }