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MethaneSAT is the first of a new wave of satellites designed to pinpoint sources of methane emissions.

MethaneSAT / Environmental Defense Fund

  • Monday, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Environmental Defense Fund's MethaneSAT satellite.
  • The satellite will track leaking methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from oil and gas companies. 
  • Google will use MethaneSAT data combined with AI to map methane leaks worldwide.

SpaceX successfully launched a game-changing satellite on Monday. Called MethaneSAT, the new satellite will track methane leaks from oil and gas companies worldwide.

Methane is a critical driver of climate change. When it comes to trapping heat inside Earth's atmosphere, methane is over 28 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.

Tags
Science, climate-change, Science, Technology, space-astronomy, NASA, Space, satellite, greenhouse-gas, Methane
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SpaceX launched a satellite that Google will use to map methane leaks for all t…