A satellite aimed at identifying the worst methane polluters among oil and gas companies has been sent into space by SpaceX.
MethaneSat was launched from California on Monday via a rocket produced by Musk’s space company.
The washing machine-sized satellite is tasked with providing an almost comprehensive view of methane leaks from oil and gas sites, with the data to then be made public.
Methane is responsible for a little under a third of global heating, pushing the climate crisis forward, with leaks from the energy sector believed to be one of the core sources of man-made emissions.
Launched by the US’s Environmental Defence Fund (EDF), a non-profit organisation, in partnership with New Zealand’s space agency, the satellite cost around US$88 million to build and send to space.
Preliminary data from the EDF taken from planes showed that methane emissions were 60% higher than research published by US authorities.
Last month, Google joined the initiative, offering its cloud computing abilities to process the MethaneSat’s data.
Google also plans to use artificial intelligence to create a detailed map of oil and gas infrastructures.
This map will be integrated with MethaneSAT's emissions data to identify the most leak-prone equipment types within the oil and gas sector.
The resulting information will be made available on the Google Earth Engine platform, a geospatial analysis tool free for use for researchers, media and non-profits.