Bezos-Backed Methane-Tracking Satellite Mission Fails After Short Orbit

WELLINGTON: A satellite supported by Amazon's Jeff Bezos has been reported lost in space, cutting short its critical mission to monitor climate change, New Zealand officials announced Wednesday.

The MethaneSAT space probe, designed to measure greenhouse gas emissions with unprecedented accuracy, received funding from both Wellington and the U.S.-based Environmental Defense Fund.

The satellite, however, encountered persistent technical difficulties and ultimately ceased responding to commands from ground control.

"This is clearly a disappointing development," stated Andrew Johnson, a senior official at the New Zealand Space Agency. "As those in the space sector understand, space exploration is inherently challenging, and every endeavor, regardless of its outcome, expands the limits of our knowledge and capabilities."

The Environmental Defense Fund, which spearheaded the project, acknowledged the "difficult news" but affirmed its commitment to continued efforts in methane tracking.

MethaneSAT was specifically engineered to measure emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane, a key contributor to climate change due to its heat-trapping properties in the Earth's atmosphere.

Accurately estimating methane emissions from oil and gas operations worldwide has proven exceptionally challenging.

The MethaneSAT team highlighted that it was "one of the most advanced methane tracking satellites in space, measuring methane emissions in oil and gas producing regions across the world."

Valuable Initial Data

Project leader Steven Hamburg emphasized that the initial data gathered 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 shared on LinkedIn.

MethaneSAT was launched into orbit in March 2024 aboard a SpaceX rocket from California.

Controllers initially lost contact with the satellite on June 20, according to a statement from the MethaneSAT team.

Irrecoverable Loss

The team confirmed that the satellite had lost all power on Monday of this week and was "likely not recoverable."

"The engineering team is conducting a thorough investigation into the loss of communication," MethaneSAT stated. "This is expected to take time. We will share what we learn."

Despite its abbreviated lifespan, MethaneSAT celebrated the mission as a "remarkable success in terms of scientific and technological accomplishment."

Bezos, through his Earth Fund, invested over US$100 million in the project.

The satellite ultimately failed after overcoming a series of technical issues. It repeatedly entered a sleep mode unexpectedly, requiring engineers to perform time-consuming resets. Additionally, one of its three thrusters malfunctioned.