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NASA’s Tanager-1 Satellite
Context:
NASA has launched the Tanager-1 satellite, designed to track methane and carbon dioxide emissions with unprecedented precision.
More on News:
- The launch follows the March 2024 deployment of MethaneSAT, another satellite focused on methane emissions.
- The Tanager-1 launch addresses past challenges, including a parachute deployment issue encountered by a similar mission.
Key Highlights:
- This mission, spearheaded by the Carbon Mapper Coalition, aims to drive global efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions impact.
- Developed by a coalition including NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, it was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
- The satellite utilises imaging spectrometer technology from JPL to track emissions by measuring hundreds of wavelengths of light reflected by Earth’s surface.
- Different atmospheric compounds, such as methane and carbon dioxide, absorb specific wavelengths, creating distinct spectral fingerprints that the spectrometer can identify.
- It can measure point-source emissions from individual facilities worldwide and will scan about 130,000 square kilometres of Earth’s surface daily.
- The emission plume data will be publicly available online, helping researchers and policymakers identify and address major greenhouse gas sources.
Importance of Tracking Methane:
- Methane, while invisible, is a potent greenhouse gas and the second largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide.
- Since the Industrial Revolution, it has been responsible for approximately 30% of global heating.
- Over 20 years, methane has been 80 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, making its reduction crucial in the fight against climate change.
- It also contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone, a harmful gas that can cause respiratory problems and other health issues.
- A 2022 report estimates that exposure to ground-level ozone may lead to one million premature deaths annually.
- Fossil fuel operations are major contributors to methane emissions, accounting for about 40% of all human-caused emissions of the gas. Carbon dioxide levels have increased by 50% since 1750 due to fossil fuel use.
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Carbon Mapper Coalition
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