GHGSat of Montreal has awarded a contract to Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) for the development of two further microsatellites for monitoring greenhouse gases: GHGSat-C12 and C13. The new satellites will be developed by SFL using their high-performance, low-cost 15-kg NEMO bus, the same bus that was utilized to construct the original nine GHGSat spacecraft.
In terms of tracking greenhouse gas emissions from industrial sources at the facility level from space to Earth, GHGSat is the global leader in this domain. In order to promote emissions reduction and hasten the planet’s decarbonization, decision-makers in the public sector and various industries, including as waste management, mining, oil and gas, electricity generation, and agriculture, rely on GHGSat emissions data. Its satellite array conducted over three million observations in 85 countries in 2023 alone, allowing for the mitigation of over six million metric tonnes of
SFL Director Dr. Robert E. Zee stated, “We are happy to expand on our long-standing partnership with GHGSat as it continues to leverage our exceptional microspace technology and develop a world-class commercial greenhouse gas monitoring constellation. We take pride in producing small satellites that meet or surpass operating specifications at a reasonable cost.”
“We are pleased to collaborate with SFL for two more satellites as GHGSat rapidly grows its constellation of high-resolution emissions-monitoring satellites. These spacecraft represent new advancements in GHGSat’s goal to measure emissions at every industrial site, worldwide, every day. They will build on the impressive track record of the previous nine SFL-built GHGSat satellites. The government and industry clients of GHGSat will be able to achieve real emissions reductions thanks to the insights they produce.
SFL’s experience in deploying cutting-edge attitude control and stability technologies—which allow smaller spacecraft to precisely point sensors at targets on the ground—was a factor in GHGSat’s initial decision to work with SFL on the highly innovative Claire demonstration mission. This capacity, which is uncommon in spacecraft in size and price range, was essential to GHGSat’s mission goals.
