MethaneSat down: how New Zealand space ambitions fell off the radar
It happened just days before New Zealand was due to take control of the spacecraft, known as MethaneSat, which was designed to 'name and shame' the worst methane polluters in the oil and gas industry.
'It was a pretty challenging moment in my career,' says Mikaloff-Fletcher, the Wellington-based lead of New Zealand's part of the mission. 'I was anticipating until a couple of days before this news that this would be a healthy mission that would last three to five years.'
The satellite was New Zealand's first publicly funded space mission. Yet the project had been plagued with issues and delays, and last week officials confirmed that after only 15 months in orbit the satellite had lost contact with the ground and was likely unrecoverable.
The loss of the satellite dealt a heavy blow to the country's fledgling government-funded space sector. New Zealand initially invested NZ$29m in MethaneSat, a project led by the US non-profit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) with other finance coming from the Bezos Earth Fund, the Audacious Project and the Valhalla Foundation.
The satellite's primary goal was to detect methane leaks from oil and gas production worldwide. But in New Zealand, Mikaloff-Fletcher leads a complementary project to explore if the satellite could also track the release of the potent greenhouse gas from agriculture. Methane from livestock accounts for almost half of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions.
The project was years in the making and some experts have criticised New Zealand's involvement. In 2019, the government agreed to invest in the mission but the satellite's launch was delayed until March 2024. Almost NZ$12m of the funding was used to build a mission control centre at Rocket Lab, a private space company with a launchpad on the remote east coast of New Zealand and also operating from the US.
The University of Auckland was to take over mission control last year but problems led to further delays. They included the satellite going into safe mode due to intense solar activity, and issues with operating its thrusters. The university never took control because the satellite stopped responding on 20 June. By this point New Zealand's total investment had risen to NZ$32m, according to the New Zealand Space Agency, because of additional funding allocated to maintain capability to take over operations.
Judith Collins, minister for space in the New Zealand government, declined to comment on the loss of MethaneSat. The deputy head of the New Zealand Space Agency, Andrew Johnson, described it as 'clearly a disappointing development'.
But Johnson says involvement in the mission has strengthened New Zealand's expertise and space capability, and the mission control centre at the University of Auckland's Te Pūnaha Ātea Space Institute will continue to be used as a training facility to position the country for future missions.
However, Richard Easther, a University of Auckland physicist who is not involved in the project, says it was a mistake for New Zealand to invest in MethaneSat. He was initially excited about the mission, but says it's become 'clear they haven't been able to keep to schedule and deliver a functional spacecraft'.
While the mission was deploying new methane-detecting sensors, the design of the spacecraft itself was not as well defined as it should have been when New Zealand invested in it and parts of it 'haven't been tested in space'.
MethaneSat's mission lead and chief scientist for EDF Steve Hamburg says the mission was 'technologically ambitious' and the team that developed the satellite 'includes some of the world's most seasoned professionals in both public and private sector space flight'.
Johnson says the providers of the satellite's structural and functional components, as well as the sensor, were selected before New Zealand joined the mission, but given the expertise of the professionals involved, 'we had no reason to doubt their judgement.'
Jon Coifman, a spokesperson for MethaneSat, says it was unclear what caused the loss of contact, but an expert panel had been set up to investigate. The existing datasets would remain accessible 'for the foreseeable future' and more data would be released over the next few months. The team remains 'undeterred in our efforts to drive down methane pollution'.
'No other satellite could match the ability to detect changes in methane levels with such high resolution and high sensitivity over such wide areas,' Coifman says.
Mikaloff-Fletcher says there have been other missions that have faced similar challenges.
'A great example is Nasa's Orbital Carbon Observatory mission, meant to deliver the most precise measurements of carbon dioxide ever made from space. It was launched in 2009 and fell into the ocean without making a single measurement,' Mikaloff-Fletcher says, though she notes further satellites were launched to achieve the mission.
She says MethaneSat did record data that will be useful in tracking agricultural emissions, and her work in the field will continue despite the setback.
Preliminary analysis shows the satellite's observations over agricultural targets in New Zealand line up well with modelling and measurements collected by aircraft-borne instruments, suggesting 'we will be able to quantify agricultural emissions in a wide range of different farming systems from existing data'.
'The satellite's life may be shorter than hoped, but the project will go on to shed new light on agricultural emissions from the data we have.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Why plane turbulence dey more serious now and dey hapun more and more?
Andrew Davies bin dey go New Zealand to work as project manager for one Doctor Who exhibition. Di first part of im flight from London to Singapore no get wahala but den di plane face serious turbulence. E remember di mata as: "being on a rollercoaster na how I go fit describe am. Afta I bin land ontop my seat very hard, we just drop. My iPad hit me for head, coffee pour me for bodi. Kasala full di cabin and pipo and tins scata evriwia. Pipo bin dey cry and no fit believe wetin just hapun." Oga Davies say e be "one of di lucky ones". Oda passengers collect injuries and broken bones. Geoff Kitchen wey be 73 years die from heart attack. Death sake of turbulence no dey very common. Official numbers no dey but e dey estimated say na only four pipo don die since 1981. But as for di wound, na anoda tori. For just US, since 2009, dem don record 207 serious injuries, injuries wia pesin need to get ova two days admission for hospital for. Dis na according to di official figures from di National Transportation Safety Board show. (166 of dis pipo na crew wey fit no sidon). But as climate change dey affect atmosphere conditions, sabi pipo warn say air travel fit dey bumpier, di temperature change and shift for wind patterns for di upper atmosphere dey expected to increase di frequency and intensity of serious turbulence. Professor Paul Williams wey be atmospheric scientist for di University of Reading tok say, "we dey expect double or triple of di amount of serious turbulence around di world in di next decades. For evri 10 minutes of severe turbulence wey we dey face now, e fit increase to like 20 to 30 minutes." So if di turbulence go become more serious, e fit become more dangerous abi airlines fit find smart ways to make dia planes "turbulence-proof"? Di bumpy North Atlantic route Serious turbulence be wen di up and down movement of plane wen e dey pass disturbed air, release enough force for your bodi to carry you from your seat if you no dey wia seatbelt. E dey estimated say around 5,000 cases of serious or greater turbulence na im dey hapun yearly out of di ova 35 million flights wey dey take off worldwide. Throughout 2023, na turbulence cause almost 40% of all di severe injuries wey passengers catch bicos dem dey fly. Dis na according to di annual safety report by di International Civil Aviation Organization. Between UK and US, Canada and di Caribbean na among di areas wey don dey affected. In di last 40 years, since satellites start to dey observe di atmosphere, dem don be 55% increase for di serious turbulence ova di North Atlantic. But di amount of turbulence don dey projected say e go increase for oda areas too, dat na wetin recent studies tok. E go rise for parts of East Asia, North Africa, North Pacific, North America and di Middle East. See wetin climate change don cause Na three main causes of turbulence dey, dem be convective (clouds or thunderstorms), orographic (air flow around mountainous areas) and clear-air (changes in wind direction or speed). All of dem fit cause severe - serious - turbulence. Pesin fit avoid convective and orographic but you see dat clear air turbulence ehn, you no fit even see am, sometimes e just be like say e dey comot from nowia. Climate change na major reason for di rise of both convective and clear-air turbulence. Even though di relationship between clinate change and thunderstorms dey hard to explain, warmer atmosphere fit get more moisture and dat extreme heat and moisture go mix to make more ogbonge thunderstorms. Back to turbulence, convective turbulence na di physical process of air rising and falling for di atmosphere especially for clouds and you no go find more violent up and down drafts but di ones wey dey thunderstorm clouds. Na wetin cause di severe turbulence for Andre Davies 2024 air trip na. Report from SIngapore Transport Safety Investigation Bureau find out say di plane "bin likely dey fly ova area wey bin get developing convective activity" ova South Myanmar wey cause "19 seconds of extreme turbulence wey include drop of 178 feet in just five seconds." One study from di US wey bin dey published for di Science journal for 2014 show say 1C increase for global temperature dey increase lightning strikes by 12%. Captain Nathan Davies, wey be commercial airline pilot tok say, "I don notice more large storm cells dey spread 80 miles plus in diameter. Dis na sometin wey suppose to be rare." But e add say, di clouds dey very easy to see unless e hide behind oda clouds so dem fit just dodge dem. Clear-air turbulence fit also rise soon. Na disturbed air in and around di jet stream dey cause am. Wind speeds for di jet stream wey dey travel from west to east across di Atlantic fit change from 160mph to 250mph. Colder air dey for di north and warmer air for di south. Di difference in temperature and change in winds dey useful for airliners so dem fit use am as tailwind to take save time and fuels. But e also dey create turbulent air. "Climate change dey warm di air to di south of di jet stream more dan di air to di north so dat temperature difference dey become stronger," Prof Williams explain. "E in turn dey drive a stronger jet stream." 'E suppose worry all of us' Some passengers dey worry bicos di increase wit severe turbulence wey fit lift pesin comot from chair fit potentially bring more incidents of injury or possible death for di most severe cases. Oga Davies dey fear ova di change of more turbulence and e say no be just for am but for im pikin too. E tok say, "I dey pleased say issue wey serious like my own never hapun, but I tink say e suppose worry us". Ova one fifth of UK adults say dem dey fear to fly. Dis na according to recent YouGov survey and if di turbulence go worse, e fit make travel to be more of a nightmare for dis pipo. As Wendy Barker, wey be nervous flyer from Norfolk, tell me: "More turbulence for me mean more chance for sometin to go wrong and less chance of survival." Aircraft wings dey designed to fly through turbulent air. As Chris Keane wey be former pilot and now dey work as ground-school instructor tok, "you no go believe how flexible wing be. For 747 passenger aircraft, under 'destructive' testing, di wings go bend upwards by some 25 degrees before e break wey dey very extreme and sometin wey no go eva hapun, even for di most severe turbulence." For airlines, dem get anoda hidden concern, dat na di economic costs of more turbulence. Di hidden cost of turbulence AVTECH, wey be tech company wey dey monitor climate and temperature changes - and dey work wit di Met Office to help warn pilots of turbulence - suggest say di costs fit start from £180,000 to £1.5 million per airline yearly. Dis include di money to check and maintain di plane afta di serious turbulence, compensation costs if flight don dey diverted or delayed and costs from going to di wrong location. Eurocontrol, wey be civil-military organisation wey dey help European aviation understand di risk of climate change say, to dodge dis turbulence producing storms fit cause crowded airspace for some areas bicos of change to flight paths. E also mean extra fuel and time wey dey cause extra CO2, Di expectation be say di need to doge bad weather go rise more by 2050. How airlines dey do turbulence-proofing Forecasting turbulence don dey beta recenntly as Prof Williams say dem fit correctly forecast like 75% of clean air turbulence correctly wen you compare am to 60% twenty years ago. Capt Davies explain say before flights, most airlines go produce flight plan wey go use computer modelling take chook eye for wia turbulence fit be for di route even though e no dey 100% accurate, na good idea make pesin use oda aircraft and Air Traffic Control reports as dem dey move. Southwest Airlines for US recently decide say dem go dey end cabin service wen di plane dey 18,000ft instead of di 10,000ft dem dey use before, so di crew and passengers go don sidon and ready to land for dis level wey dem suggest say go drop di injuries turbulence dey cause by 20%. Last year sef, Korean Airlines say dem no go give passengers noodles again for economy so passengers no go burn demselves as dem don see times two turbulence since 2019. From owls to AI: extreme measures Some studies don dey look at different ways to build wings. Sabi pipo don study di way owl dey fly for windy area and find out say di wings dey act as suspension and dey stabilise di head and chest as e dey fly dia. So di study wey dem publish for di Royal Society proceedings for 2020 conclude say, dat kain wing design fit dey useful for small scale aircraft. Anoda start up for Austria wey dem dey call Turbulence Solutions claim say dem don build sensor wey go see turbulent air and alarm flap for di wing to dodge am. Di company CEO say e fit reduce moderate turbulence for light aircraft by 80%. Some dey wey dey argue say AI solve am. Fourier Adaptive Learning and Control (FALCON) na one kain technology wey dem dey research for di California Institute of Technology, wey dey learn how turbulent air dey flow across wing in real time. Dat one sef dey sense turbulence den e go come tell di flap of di wing to adjust and dodge am. But some pipo like aerospace engineer, Finlay Asher dey reason say all dis technology no go dey for big commercial planes for di next few decades. But oda sabi pipo dey reason say all dis more frequent turbulence no be big deal, las-las, wetin e mean be say dem go be more sitting down wit di seatbelt on. Top Image credit: Ivan-balvan via GETTY
Telegraph
10 hours ago
- Telegraph
Creatures found living off gas in Pacific Ocean's deepest trenches
A strange menagerie of creatures living off methane have been found in the darkest depths of the Pacific Ocean. Spiky white worms and tiny marine snails were filmed picking their way through swaying fields of tube-worms, more than five miles from the surface. Chinese explorers who visited the area by submarine also found huge beds of clams and large patches of white, snow-like microbial mats. The waving carpets of worms looked so much like countryside meadows that scientists labelled them 'Cotton Field' and 'Wintersweet Valley', while the blanched microbial mats were dubbed 'Icy River'. The creatures are all the more remarkable because they live in complete darkness along major fault-lines where two tectonic plates meet, surviving on hydrogen sulfide and methane produced by seismic activity. The Kuril–Kamchatka Trench, formed by the Pacific Plate moving beneath the Okhotsk Plate, was the site of this week's earthquake which sent tsunami waves crashing onto the shores of the US and Japan. It is not known how the newly-discovered creatures have been impacted by the earthquake. The new expedition covered more than 1,500 miles, exploring the trench at depths ranging from 3.6 miles to 5.9 miles beneath the surface. It was led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering who said finding a 'flourishing' community in such a hostile environment made it likely similar ecosystems were thriving in other harsh environments. The team says it now wants to find out how life manages to survive in the high pressure environments of hadal trenches – the very deep fissures at the bottom of oceans. It has collected a number of samples to study in the lab. Co-lead author on the study, Xiatong Peng, from China's Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Science, said: 'Hadal trenches, some of the Earth's least explored and understood environments have long been proposed to harbour chemosynthesis-based communities. 'Yet, despite increasing attention, actual documentation of such communities has been exceptionally rare.' 'Here we report the discovery of the deepest and the most extensive chemosynthesis-based communities known to exist on Earth. 'Given geological similarities with other hadal trenches, such chemosynthesis-based communities might be more widespread than previously anticipated.' Creatures that exist in such inhospitable locations are known as 'extremophiles' and they were first discovered living in hydrothermal vents in the 1980s. Trawls from the region had pulled up chemical-eating worms, but it is the first time that such a diverse and thriving living community has been found living at such depths. The communities are dominated by marine tube-worms called siboglinid polychaetes and molluscs called bivalves, which synthesise their energy using hydrogen sulfide and methane seeping out of faults in the tectonic plate. Further analysis suggests that the methane seeping out of the cracks is made by microbial processes in organic matter found in sediments. The images were taken by the manned submersible equipped with a high-definition camera system. The research was published in the journal Nature.
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Daily Mail
China's star wars arms race with the West
Chinese scientists are developing ways to destroy Elon Musk 's Starlink satellite network, including laser strikes, custom-built satellites and supply chain sabotage . They see the system as a growing threat to national security, especially because of its potential to be used by the US in a military confrontation and for spying. Starlink, which provides low-cost, high-speed internet through thousands of satellites, is now used in more than 140 countries. Professors from China 's National University of Defence Technology wrote: 'As the United States integrates Starlink technology into military space assets to gain a strategic advantage over its adversaries, other countries increasingly perceive Starlink as a security threat in nuclear, space, and cyber domains .' Though Starlink doesn't operate in China, its satellites still fly over Chinese territory. That's enough to trigger alarm among military researchers, who have published dozens of papers on how to track and take down the network. One study found Starlink could provide constant coverage of key locations like Beijing and Taiwan. Another highlighted weakness in the system's supply chain. Some researchers suggested tailing Starlink satellites with Chinese ones, using corrosive substances to damage them or disrupting their solar panels. Others proposed building optical telescopes to monitor the network or using powerful lasers to destroy Musk's equipment. Some experts have also called for diplomatic and legal moves to curb the company's global reach. One study was bluntly titled: 'Watch out for that Starlink.' China is not alone in its concerns - some US allies worry about the risks of relying on a single company, especially one controlled by a businessman whose political views shift regularly . Musk briefly acted as an adviser in Donald Trump's administration and has poured money into political causes. He left the government in May after falling out with Trump on social media. However, SpaceX continues to win major contracts to launch NASA missions, rescue astronauts, and build surveillance satellites for the US government. Starlink became a battlefield tool during Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The satellites helped Ukraine run drones and maintain communications. But Musk had final say on how the system was used and refused to extend coverage to support a Ukrainian push into Russian-held Crimea. 'Ukraine was a warning shot for the rest of us,' said Nitin Pai, co-founder of the Takshashila Institution in India. 'For the last 20 years, we were quite aware of the fact that giving important government contracts to Chinese companies is risky because Chinese companies operate as appendages of the Chinese Communist Party. 'Therefore, it's a risk because the Chinese Communist Party can use technology as a lever against you. Now it's no different with the Americans.' Since the war began, Chinese researchers have accelerated efforts to study and counter Starlink. Starlink currently operates over 8,000 satellites and plans to launch tens of thousands more . It makes up about two-thirds of all active satellites, according to Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics. Other countries are racing to catch up. Amazon's Project Kuiper has just 78 satellites in orbit. Europe is investing heavily in its own system, IRIS2, but is still years behind. China's Guowang network has launched 60 satellites so far, with plans for 13,000. A separate Chinese-backed company, Qianfan, has sent up 90 satellites out of its 15,000 planned expeditions and is targeting markets in Asia, Africa and Latin America. In the meantime, Starlink's footprint keeps expanding. It recently gained access to India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Only a few countries, including China, Iran and North Korea, remain out of reach.
