Canadian firm launches satellite to monitor individual facility CO2 emissions

GHGSat, a Canadian company, has successfully launched on Saturday three new satellites, one of these is specifically designed to monitor CO2 emissions from industrial sources worldwide, Reuters reported.

The satellite, named Vanguard, has a unique capability to monitor CO2 emissions from specific facilities like coal plants and steel mills from space, as stated by GHGSat. The satellite launched from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Advanced space technology is being increasingly leveraged to hold industries accountable for their pollution and its impact on climate change. The data gathered by GHGSat is up for sale to industrial emitters aiming to cut down their emissions, and also to governments and scientists.  

Vanguard will build on the growing network of satellites that are currently detecting methane emissions, an invisible greenhouse gas that is hard to track as it often leaks from a variety of minor sources such as pipelines, drilling locations, and agricultural sites.   

Carbon dioxide, mainly from power plants, makes up about 80 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Current satellites are not focused on emissions at the facility level, says GHGSat.  

GHGSat stated that this data will enhance the precision of government emissions inventories and scientific models, and will also improve the reliability of corporate greenhouse gas reports for investors.