Posted on 07/06/2025 7:20:18 PM PDT by Beowulf9
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.
(Excerpt) Read more at phys.org ...
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.
Lost in Space? Can’t wait for the comments...
DANGER, JEFF BEZOS!!!
Maybe it was sniffing methane from Venus and we.t there.
“Oh, the pain! The pain!”
I think Bozos is the guy who was quoted saying “Space is hard”.
Obviously it is hard for him.
Lol.
Beat me to it!
Sorry, I’m in a cynical mood tonight.
aw. the gov’t and its favorite tech bro loses a part of its totalitarian surveillance system. sounds like a praise God moment to me.
here’s to the zero ‘resolution’ methane sniffer satellite.
“Bezos-backed methane tracking satellite is lost in space”
#############
“Just up and vanished like a fart in the wind!”
Maybe it has gone to Uranus.
LOL....
Perhaps someone lighted a match !!!
Like many Amazon deliveries, maybe someone stole it off the porch.
That is the direction I was thinking. Hate to say it but didn’t think this through being how this is FR.
Thanks! Never really appreciated it, but hearing it now, it really is something.
🤣
What Is Fed to Cows to Cut Down on Methane?
Key Feed Additives and Dietary Strategies
1. 3-Nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP, branded as Bovaer)
How it works: Inhibits an enzyme in the cow’s rumen that is crucial for methane production.
Effectiveness: Reduces methane emissions by about 27% to 40% in dairy cows and up to 50% in beef cattle, depending on the diet and dosage.
Usage: Typically added as a small daily supplement (as little as a quarter teaspoon per cow).
Approval: Approved for use in the U.S., European Union, Japan, and other countries.
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IN UK IT IS COMPULSORY. YOUM MUST FEED THIS DREK TO YOUR COWS.
Bovaer is currently compulsory only in the United Kingdom, where the British government has announced a mandate requiring all suitable British cattle to be given Bovaer, a methane-reducing feed additive, by 2030 as part of national climate change efforts. This policy is intended to significantly reduce agricultural methane emissions and follows trials and voluntary adoption in the UK and other countries.
It’s not lost, it went to Saturn’s moon, Titan. Lots of methane there and no fossils, go figure.
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