New Satellite Tanager-1 Launched to Track Major Carbon Dioxide and Methane Emitters for Climate Action.

A new satellite, Tanager-1, launched from California to detect major emitters of carbon dioxide and methane, a highly potent gas that is 80 times more effective than CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere. The satellite was deployed through a coalition involving Carbon Mapper, Planet Labs, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with funding from groups such as Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation. It will focus on facilities that produce more than 100 kilograms of methane an hour and will identify the source of these emissions, such as a pipeline leak or power plant flare. The data will be made public online.