Latest news with #NewZealandSpaceAgency
Time of India
02-07-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Methane-tracking satellite backed by Bezos lost in space
Representative Image An $88 million (€77.4 million) satellite backed by Jeff Bezos has disappeared in space while conducting a climate change mission, New Zealand officials said on Wednesday. MethaneSAT , which was designed to evaluate greenhouse gas emissions with "unprecedented resolution," was also funded by Wellington and the US-based Environmental Defense Fund . However, the satellite was plagued with technical problems and recently stopped responding to its Earth-bound controllers. "Clearly, this is a disappointing development," said Andrew Johnson, a senior official at the New Zealand Space Agency. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo "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 vain, EDF argues: The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), which was in charge of the project, said it was "difficult news" but would not relent in its efforts to track methane. "We're seeing this as a setback, not a failure," Amy Middleton, senior vice president at the EDF, told the Reuters news agency. "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 last year was a milestone in a years-long campaign to hold some 120 countries accountable to their 2021 pledge to curb methane emissions . It also sought to help enforce a further pledge from 50 oil and gas firms made at the Dubai COP28 climate summit in December 2023 to eliminate methane and routine gas flaring. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Scientists say capping leaks from oil and gas wells and equipment is, therefore, one of the fastest ways to start tackling global warming. The EDF had received a $100 million funding boost from the Bezos Earth Fund in 2020 and received other financial support from Arnold Ventures, the Robertson Foundation and the TED Audacious Project and EDF donors. The mission was also carried out in partnership with the New Zealand Space Agency.
NDTV
02-07-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Jeff Bezos-Backed Satellite On Climate Change Mission Lost In Space
A satellite backed by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has been lost in space while carrying out an important climate change mission, New Zealand officials said Wednesday. Designed to measure greenhouse gas emissions with "unprecedented resolution", the MethaneSAT space probe was also funded by Wellington and the US-based Environmental Defence Fund. Plagued with technical problems, the satellite recently stopped responding to its Earth-bound controllers. "Clearly, this is a disappointing development," said Andrew Johnson, a senior official at 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 Defence Fund, which led the project, said it was "difficult news" but would not be the end of its methane-tracking efforts. MethaneSAT was designed to measure emissions of the potent greenhouse gas, which fuels climate change by trapping heat in the planet's atmosphere. It has proven notoriously difficult to get accurate estimates of the methane emissions belched out by oil and gas projects around 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 team said. 'Remarkable' Project lead Steven Hamburg said initial data 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 back of a SpaceX rocket fired from California. Controllers first lost contact with the satellite on June 20, the MethaneSAT team said in a statement. 'Not recoverable' They confirmed it had lost all power on Monday this week and was "likely not recoverable". "The engineering team is conducting a thorough investigation into the loss of communication," MethaneSAT said. "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 more than $100 million into the project through his philanthropic Earth Fund. The satellite eventually succumbed after overcoming a string of technical glitches. It repeatedly entered a sleep, or stand-by, mode without prompting -- forcing engineers to perform a lengthy reset each time. One of its three thrusters also failed.
Economic Times
02-07-2025
- Science
- Economic Times
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos-backed methane-tracking satellite lost in space
Agencies Image used for representative purpose only Wellington: A satellite backed by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has been lost in space while carrying out an important climate change mission, New Zealand officials said Wednesday. Designed to measure greenhouse gas emissions with "unprecedented resolution", the MethaneSAT space probe was also funded by Wellington and the US-based Environmental Defense Fund. Plagued with technical problems, the satellite recently stopped responding to its Earth-bound controllers. "Clearly, this is a disappointing development," said Andrew Johnson, a senior official at 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 Defense Fund, which led the project, said it was "difficult news" but would not be the end of its methane-tracking efforts. MethaneSAT was designed to measure emissions of the potent greenhouse gas, which fuels climate change by trapping heat in the planet's atmosphere. It has proven notoriously difficult to get accurate estimates of the methane emissions belched out by oil and gas projects around 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 team said. 'Remarkable' Project lead Steven Hamburg said initial data 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 back of a SpaceX rocket fired from California. Controllers first lost contact with the satellite on June 20, the MethaneSAT team said in a statement. 'Not recoverable' They confirmed it had lost all power on Monday this week and was "likely not recoverable". "The engineering team is conducting a thorough investigation into the loss of communication," MethaneSAT said. "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 more than US$100 million into the project through his philanthropic Earth Fund. The satellite eventually succumbed after overcoming a string of technical glitches. It repeatedly entered a sleep, or stand-by, mode without prompting -- forcing engineers to perform a lengthy reset each time. One of its three thrusters also failed.
DW
02-07-2025
- Science
- DW
Methane-tracking satellite backed by Bezos lost in space – DW – 07/02/2025
A satellite backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has been lost in space. MethaneSAT had been collecting emissions data and images from drilling sites, pipelines, and processing facilities around the world. An $88 million (€77.4 million) satellite backed by Jeff Bezos has disappeared in space while conducting a climate change mission, New Zealand officials said on Wednesday. MethaneSAT, which was designed to evaluate greenhouse gas emissions with "unprecedented resolution," was also funded by Wellington and the US-based Environmental Defense Fund. However, the satellite was plagued with technical problems and recently stopped responding to its Earth-bound controllers. "Clearly, this is a disappointing development," said Andrew Johnson, a senior official at 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." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), which was in charge of the project, said it was "difficult news" but would not relent in its efforts to track methane. "We're seeing this as a setback, not a failure," Amy Middleton, senior vice president at the EDF, told the Reuters news agency. "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 last year was a milestone in a years-long campaign to hold some 120 countries accountable to their 2021 pledge to curb methane emissions. It also sought to help enforce a further pledge from 50 oil and gas firms made at the Dubai COP28 climate summit in December 2023 to eliminate methane and routine gas flaring. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Scientists say capping leaks from oil and gas wells and equipment is therefore one of the fastest ways to start tackling the problem of global warming. The EDF had received a $100 million funding boost from the Bezos Earth Fund in 2020 and received other financial support from Arnold Ventures, the Robertson Foundation and the TED Audacious Project and EDF donors. The mission was also carried out in partnership with the New Zealand Space Agency.
Scoop
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Taxpayer Funded Satellite Likely "Irrecoverable" After Losing Contact With The Ground
, Climate Change Correspondent Space Minister Judith Collins has declined to answer questions about the loss of a taxpayer-funded satellite. The New Zealand government put $29 million towards MethaneSAT, which has been lost in space after going off course. The government invested in MethaneSAT in the hopes of growing the space industry. The mission's goal was to name and shame oil and gas producers that are allowing planet-heating methane to escape into the atmosphere. RNZ has been asking about problems with the satellite since September and was previously told its issues were "teething problems". Asked if the public had been kept adequately informed, Minister Collins said she had nothing to add and questions should go to the New Zealand Space Agency, which is part of the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment. The Space Agency released a statement saying the owners of the MethaneSAT satellite had advised contact with the satellite was lost on 20 June and attempts to restore communication have been unsuccessful. "Clearly this is a disappointing development. 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." "New Zealand has been a partner in the MethaneSAT mission since 2019, which is a collaboration with the US-based Environmental Defense Fund. "While the mission's primary focus has been detecting and measuring global oil and gas emissions, New Zealand's involvement extended the focus to a science programme to investigate the detection of methane emissions from agriculture and other sources." It said New Zealand's involvement had "strengthened our expertise and space capability as a country" and generated 97 measurements over agricultural land including 13 measurements over New Zealand, which scientists at Earth Sciences New Zealand, formerly NIWA, would work with as part of their $6 million project using the satellite. The satellite's owners released a statement overnight saying the taxpayer-funded climate satellite had lost contact with the ground and "is likely not recoverable." "While this is difficult news, it is not the end of the overall MethaneSAT effort, or of our work to slash methane emissions," said a statement released by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), the US group behind the satellite. The mission has been plagued by delays, first to its launch date and then to the arrival of its promised data about global methane emissions. The University of Auckland has been waiting to take over the mission control at its new, partly taxpayer-funded Te Pūnaha Ātea Space Institute. The announcement of the satellite's demise came just two days after the latest deadline for handing control over to university staff and students. In May, the mission's chief scientist said more intense solar activity because of a peak in the sun's magnetic cycle had been causing MethaneSAT to go into safe mode. The satellite had to be carefully restarted every time. There had also been a problem with one of the satellite's three thrusters, which maintain its altitude and steer the spacecraft. MethaneSAT had said it could operate fully on two thrusters. The new information helps explain why control of the satellite had to be handed back to its manufacturers in Colorado in March instead of going straight from Rocket Lab to the University of Auckland as planned. The university had said it would still operate the mission control from a delayed start date of June, and staff had been involved in day-to-day tasks ahead of the full hand over. The ability to learn from operating the satellite was a major rationale for the government's investment, after early hopes that it would reveal new information about New Zealand's methane emissions proved incorrect. New Zealand scientists had raised questions about what they saw as a lack of transparency with the New Zealand public about delays to the satellite's data. EDF, the environmental non-profit behind the satellite mission, told RNZ in October that the spacecraft was performing as expected and there were no "notable or particular complications outside the realm of what would be anticipated". But just a few months later, after more questions from RNZ, MethaneSAT announced that control of the satellite had been transferred back to its maker Blue Canyon Technologies so it could fix "challenges." When RNZ previously asked EDF if its response in October had been true it said the issues were "teething problems" and nothing beyond what was expected. "MethaneSAT experienced the sort of teething problems that one would encounter with any new mission using a new platform (bus), but nothing outside the bounds of what was to be expected. The expectation was that developing an efficient, well-honed set of operating procedures takes time," it said. MethaneSAT acknowledged in October the process was taking longer than expected, particularly commissioning the thrusters. However it did not disclose the issue with the satellite having to be brought out of safe mode until RNZ asked a list of specific questions. In March, Collins was asked about the mission's problems - but told Parliament she could not say because of confidentiality. In February, the government's Space Agency also cited the need for confidentiality when it declined to answer questions from RNZ about what was wrong. University of Auckland astrophysicist Richard Easther was among the critics of the mission's lack of communication about its problems. On Wednesday, he said New Zealand needed a "no blame" review to understand "how New Zealand blew past so many red flags about MethaneSAT's operation." "This is a tragedy for the people here who worked hard on it, and for New Zealand science." He said the mission "kept pumping out upbeat comms even after it became apparent that the spacecraft had major problems which in many cases appear to have been present since launch." Full statement from EDF: "On Friday, June 20, the MethaneSAT mission operations lost contact with MethaneSAT. "After pursuing all options to restore communications, we learned this morning that the satellite has lost power, and that it is likely not recoverable. "While this is difficult news, it is not the end of the overall MethaneSAT effort, or of our work to slash methane emissions. "Launched in March 2024, MethaneSAT had been collecting methane emissions data over the past year. 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 mission has been a remarkable success in terms of scientific and technological accomplishment, and for its lasting influence on both industry and regulators worldwide. "The engineering team is conducting a thorough investigation into the loss of communication. This is expected to take time. We will share what we learn. "Thanks to MethaneSAT, we have gained critical insight about the distribution and volume of methane being released from oil and gas production areas. "We have also developed an unprecedented capability to interpret the measurements from space and translate them into volumes of methane released. "This capacity will be valuable to other missions. "EDF and MethaneSAT remain firmly committed to our core purpose of turning data into action to protect the climate including reducing methane emissions from the global oil and gas industry. "The advanced spectrometers developed specifically for MethaneSAT met or exceeded all expectations throughout the mission. In combination with the mission algorithms and software, we showed that the highly sensitive instrument could see total methane emissions, even at low levels, over wide areas, including both large sources (super emitters) and the smaller ones that account for a large share of total methane emissions, which were not visible from space until MethaneSAT. "EDF and MethaneSAT remain firmly committed to our core purpose of turning data into action to protect the climate, including reducing methane emissions from the global oil and gas industry. "We will be working with partners around the world to leverage the algorithms and associated software as well as the now-proven high precision technology that was developed as part of the MethaneSAT mission so the world has access to high quality actionable greenhouse gas emissions data on a global basis. "We will continue to process data that we have retrieved from the satellite and will be releasing additional scenes of global oil and gas production region-scale emissions over the coming months. "To solve the climate challenge requires bold action and risk-taking and this satellite was at the leading edge of science, technology and advocacy. "We also will continue to work closely with our partners to reduce methane emissions and implement the goals of the Global Methane Pledge, The Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter, Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0, the United Nations Environment Programme's International Emissions Observatory and Climate and Clean Air Coalition, and so many other efforts this mission was designed to support."
