Teknolohiyang Satelayt: Pagsubaybay at Pagbabawas ng Emisyon ng Metano

Pagsubaybay sa Tamang Sukatan ng Pag-init ng Mundo

When it comes to climate change induced by greenhouse gases, most of the public’s attention is on CO₂, as this is by far the most durable emission, staying stable in the atmosphere and increasing global temperature.

But another key factor is methane, a very powerful greenhouse gas, mostly released from leaks in coal, gas, and oil fields. Correctly assessing and reducing methane emissions is going to be crucial to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

However, this is easier said than done, with emissions coming from oil & gas fields in remote areas or diffuse leaks from large-scale coal mines, or even agricultural operations and melting permafrost.

This is why a growing network of space-based sensors is being built to measure methane emissions. These constellations of satellites can detect methane directly from space, over a massive surface area at once, and precisely assess the situation.

As this tool gets ever more precise and produces real-time coverage of the Earth, high-quality data on both the timing and quantity of methane emissions is becoming available.

Metano Emisyon 101

Bakit Subaybayan ang mga Emisyon ng Metano?

CO₂ is the main factor in greenhouse gas emissions, as this is by far the most abundant one, and also the one most produced by human activities.

However, methane, another greenhouse gas massively produced by human civilization, is much more powerful in its ability to trap heat (greenhouse effect). It is 28–34x more powerful than CO₂ at trapping heat over a 100-year period. On a shorter 20-year timescale, it is over 80 times more potent.

So while CO₂ might be the number that matters for long-term increase in temperatures, methane is very impactful for the immediate warming effect.

The extra issue is that feedback loops can accelerate warming. For example, warming melts icy ground in northern regions like Canada and Siberia, leading to more methane being released, and the darker ground absorbing more heat.

So short-term high levels of methane emissions can create accelerating short-term warming, which will then have a long-term effect on global temperature through acceleration of feedback loops, creating durable and potentially irreversible changes in global temperature.

So, even if, luckily, the atmospheric lifespan is on average only 12 years (then decaying into CO₂), it is far from just a transient effect that methane molecules can have on the climate.

As methane emissions are rising even more quickly than CO₂ emissions in the past few years, urgent action is required, itself requiring a clear picture of where the methane is coming from.

Pinagmulan: IEA

Paano Sinusukat ang Metano?

For local measurement, methane concentration can be measured with various sensors using different detection methods like flame ionization, lasers, catalytic beads, etc.

But for larger-scale measurement, infrared sensors are generally preferred, as they can detect methane plumes by detecting methane’s ability to absorb specific wavelengths in the infrared spectrum, in the Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) range.

For even larger detection scales, satellites need to deploy even more precise measurements. So while the general principle is often to detect change in absorption in the SWIR range, additional technology is now being deployed.

One method is multispectral sensors that have a few wide bands of detection. While not specific to methane detection, sensors like those on Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 can detect the large “super-emitter” plumes by comparing reflectance across their SWIR bands. This is good enough for a rough estimate and detecting the larger emissions, but this is inadequate for precise measurement and smaller emissions sources, therefore, missing a significant portion of the whole picture.

Another method is using imaging interferometers, which merge light sources to create interference patterns. This enables high-resolution detection of methane from small satellites, and is the method notably used by the GHGSat satellite constellation (see below).

Lastly, hyperspectral sensors can be used, which capture data across hundreds or thousands of narrow, contiguous spectral bands. This way, it covers the whole visible, near-infrared, and short-wave infrared ranges, creating unique spectral “fingerprints” for each pixel, allowing for detailed identification of materials making up the atmosphere at various altitudes, including methane. This is by far the most advanced method, and is deployed in PRISMA (Italy) and EnMAP (Germany).

With these new methods, satellite detection of methane emissions is getting ever more precise, and allowing for more efficient policies.

Pangunahing Inisyatibo sa Pagsubaybay ng Metano

A large array of satellite-based methane detection is being built or launched, creating a dense mesh of methane emission detectors, each with its own technical specification and useful niche usage.

Some are commercial initiatives, others are parts of public research programs regarding climate change, and others are linked to mixed private-public partnerships.

Pinagmulan: MethaneSAT

GHGSat

GHGSat currently manages the largest commercial constellation for methane and CO₂ detection, with 16 satellites in orbit by 2026.

The company’s technology is able to detect methane emission at a resolution as small as 25 meters (82 feet), letting it point out individual gas & oil wells.

The company developed the first sensor for small satellites that can detect methane (CH₄) emissions. These patented imaging interferometers fit into very small (and therefore cheaper) satellites measuring just 20 x 30 x 40 cm (7.8 x 11.8 x 15.7 inches).

Pinagmulan: GHGSat

This was a remarkable technical achievement by GHGSat, as they developed that capability with less than 1% of the investment of other satellite companies. And this created an observation capacity 100x more precise than many other satellites, able to detect methane reliably.

In total, the company had 534 MTCO₂e/yr of methane emissions detected with its satellites.

Pinagmulan: GHGSat

The company is not only monitoring methane, but also CO₂ with GHGSat-C10 ‘Vanguard’, the world’s first commercial high-resolution CO₂ sensor. It is enabling precise measurements from carbon-intensive sites down to 25m on the ground.

“Nakatulong ang aming mga high-resolution na satellite na mailagay ang methane—isang greenhouse gas na dati’y hindi nakikita at hindi napapansin—sa sentro ng usaping pangklima. Sa unang pagkakataon, magkakaroon ang mga operator ng steel mill, planta ng kuryente, at petrochemical complex ng access sa independiyente, tumpak, at pandaigdigang pamantayang pagsubaybay at datos ng emisyon.”

Stephane Germain, CEO ng GHGSat

Panghuli, nagsasagawa rin ang kumpanya ng mga pagsukat mula sa himpapawid. Kayang masaklaw ng linear survey ang hanggang 800 km bawat araw sa taas na hanggang 3,000 metro (500 milya—10,000 talampakan). Natutukoy at nasusukat nito ang methane mula sa mga indibidwal na pinagmumulan hanggang 10 kg kada oras, kaya mas napipino ang pagtukoy ng mga satellite.

Sa kabuuan, maliliit at murang sensor na sapat pa rin ang katumpakan ang malamang na pinakamahusay na paraan upang maayos na masubaybayan ang methane. Kailangan ang regular na paglipad at tuloy-tuloy na saklaw upang masukat ang tunay na emisyon. Nakababawas din sa gastos at nagpapataas ng kaligtasan ang pagsukat mula sa kalawakan o himpapawid dahil hindi kailangang pisikal na puntahan ang mga sinusuring lugar.

MethaneSAT

Launched in 2024, this satellite is designed to bridge the gap between regional mapping and precision imaging, so it can track both large emitters and smaller dispersed sources.

MethaneSAT’s data shows emissions across a wide region represented on a gridded heat map. These are known as dispersed area emissions or dispersed sources. Grid cells have sizes such as 4 km x 4 km or 5 km x 5 km.

It can point out the source emitting methane at 500 kg/hr. This is enough to account for more than 80% of methane emissions associated with global oil and gas production.

Where MethaneSAT is weaker in resolution, it beats in precision, with detection of excess methane at 3 ppb (parts per billion), the highest precision compared to other satellites in orbit, thanks to two passive infrared Littrow spectrometers detecting oxygen, CO₂, and methane. This demonstrated the importance of measuring small methane emissions, and not just the so-called “super-emitters”.

“Pitumpung porsiyento ng humigit-kumulang 15 milyong metriko tonelada ng methane na nagmumula taun-taon sa mga gawaing langis at gas sa kalupaan ng kontinental na US ay mula sa maliliit at kalat-kalat na pinagmumulan na naglalabas ng wala pang 100 kilo ng methane kada oras. Halos isang-katlo (30%) ay mula sa mga lugar na naglalabas ng wala pang 10 kilo kada oras.”

Pagsapit ng katapusan ng 2025, nakakuha na ang pangkat ng MethaneSAT ng datos mula sa 41 oil at gas basin sa buong mundo, na sumasaklaw sa 25 bansa at 50% ng pandaigdigang produksiyon ng langis at gas sa kalupaan. Halos 800 mananaliksik, analyst, at teknikal na gumagamit mula sa industriya, pamahalaan, akademya, at mga NGO ang nabigyan ng access sa aming Level 3 at Level 4 na datos sa mga platform ng Google.

Makikita ang isang preview ng kakayahang ito sa kaugnay na pahina ng Google Earth Engine Apps.

Carbon Mapper

Carbon Mapper is the result of a unique public-private partnership started in 2019 to develop and deploy two satellites with capabilities to detect and quantify methane and CO₂ super-emitters.

The project is funded by a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, Carbon Mapper, which relies on the generosity of philanthropic funders.

On the technical side, organizations like NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Planet Labs PBC (PL ), California Air Resources Board (CARB), University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Stanford University, Harvard University, University of Michigan, and RMI contributed their expertise.

On the financial and philanthropic side can be found High Tide (HITI ) Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment.

“Sa paglulunsad ng aming unang satellite, nagsisikap ang Carbon Mapper at ang aming mga katuwang na palawakin ang pagkakaroon ng pampublikong datos upang mapabilis ang pagbabawas ng emisyon sa buong mundo.”

Riley Duren, CEO ng Carbon Mapper

The satellites are equipped to detect methane plumes, for example, from pipelines or flares, with emission rates as low as 70 kg/hr under moderate conditions (predicted 90% detection limit of about 100 kg/hr).

The instrument on Planet’s Tanager-1 satellite represents 5th-generation imaging spectrometer technology, designed by NASA JPL.

Pinagmulan: Carbon Mapper

Before the first satellite launch in 2024, Carbon Mapper was using imaging spectrometers onboard airplanes to detect methane super-emitters, including AVIRIS-NG by NASA, JPL, and the Global Airborne Observatory by ASU’s Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science.

AIRMO

AIRMO is a German-led initiative developing a constellation of satellites that will use a unique combination of LiDAR and SWIR (Short-Wave Infrared) sensors to track methane even through clouds or at night.

The SWIR pushbroom spectrometer will be capable of detecting methane columns with a ground sampling resolution of ~50m across-track at 500km altitude. The micro-LiDAR system will enhance detection accuracy and sensitivity beyond what spectrometers alone can achieve.

The system will combine the satellite data with airborne TDLAS sensors and use novel AI-driven data analytics.

AIRMO announced in Pebrero 2026 a strategic partnership with EnduroSat. EnduroSat will provide its patented cableless, modular design FRAME-15 software-flexible satellite, ESPA-class platform, with 70 kg of payload and 3.4 kW of power, a design already used in 120 operating satellites.

“Kailangan namin ng katuwang na makasasabay sa aming bilis at ambisyon. Taglay ng EnduroSat ang teknikal na lalim at karanasan sa pagpapatupad ng misyon na kailangan namin upang maihatid sa orbit ang aming payload ayon sa iskedyul at mapatakbo ito ayon sa espesipikasyon.”

Daria Stepanova – CEO & co-founder ng AIRMO

Nakatakdang ilunsad ang unang satellite sa unang bahagi ng 2027 at magsisilbi itong pundasyon ng konstelasyong may mahigit 12 satellite, na idinisenyong maghatid ng pandaigdigang methane intelligence sa malaking saklaw at may walang kapantay na temporal resolution.

Kabilang sa mga unang tututukang merkado ang imprastraktura ng gas sa Europa, Gitnang Asya, at Gitnang Silangan—mga rehiyong may ilan sa pinakamataas ngunit pinakakaunting nasusubaybayang emisyon ng methane sa mundo.

GESat / Copernicus (Europe)

The European Space Agency (ESA) is working on this project that saw the launch of the first satellite part of Absolut Sensing‘s constellation in 2025 in a SpaceX (SPCX ) rocket. The satellites are built around the standard CubeSat 12u platforms.

GESat GEN1 carries a combination of hyperspectral instruments to precisely identify methane emissions with high accuracy. This includes a wide range of infrared wavelengths detection, cooled by the CRYASSY system to improve instrument sensitivity and spectral resolution.

Pinagmulan: Absolut Sensing

The mission will detect and quantify hotspot methane emissions with a threshold of 100 Kg/hour. An extra constellation of 3 satellites (CO₂M-A, -B, and -C) should be fully operational by the end of 2026 and add further data. The Copernicus initiative also leverages data from other constellations, notably GHGSat.

The data will be analyzed by a physics-guided machine learning model (AI) trained on petabytes of atmospheric and weather data. This will help improve measurement in all weather conditions, including when winds and other weather-related effects can deform the original emission data.

Pinagmulan: Copernicus

PRISMA

PRISMA, or PRecursore IperSpettrale della Missione Applicativa, is an Italian Hyperspectral satellite launched by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) in Marso 2019.

It uses a prism spectrometer to split reflected light into 239 narrow, continuous spectral bands and covers the spectrum from 400 nm to 2500 nm, including visible (VNIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) light.

It ultimately combines a hyperspectral sensor with a 30m resolution (100 feet) with a panchromatic camera with a 5m resolution (16 feet) for sharp, detailed images, and a large 30 km swath width (18.6 miles).

This earlier generation of satellite is able to detect methane, but has also plenty of other applications in forestry, agriculture, urbanism, mineral exploitation, other environmental monitoring, and disaster management.

EnMap

EnMAP (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program) is a German hyperspectral satellite mission launched in 2022.

It utilizes imaging spectroscopy to break down sunlight reflected from Earth into 246 narrow, contiguous spectral bands, from 420 nm to 2450 nm, spanning the visible, near-infrared (VNIR), and short-wave infrared (SWIR) regions.

Each pixel in an EnMAP image represents a 30 m x 30 m area on the ground. Like PRISMA, this is a multipurpose satellite, but it contributed important findings in methane emissions before the launch of more specialized satellites and constellations.

NarSha (South Korea)

NarSha is South Korea’s first dedicated methane-monitoring microsatellite constellation, made of more than 100 satellites, developed by the South Korean company Nara Space for launch in 2026, in collaboration with Seoul National University (SNU) and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI).

The satellites are built using a compact 16U CubeSat standard, and an initial batch of 12 satellites will start to be launched in 2026.

The sheer number of these satellites could provide near-real-time global methane monitoring, with daily revisits to specific emission sources. It should display high resolution, with spatial resolution expected at less than 25–30 meters and high-precision methane-focused measurements, thanks to a spectral resolution finer than 1 nm (within the 1625–1670 nm methane band).

Pagtatama ng mga Emisyon ng Metano

Saan Nagmumula ang mga Emisyon ng Metano?

Thanks to more accurate measurements from all the satellites tracking methane, we now have a much more precise image of methane emissions than in 2020. Overall, oil & gas emissions are the largest from Eurasia (especially Russia and Central Asia), the Middle East, and North America, as well as surprisingly high levels from Africa.

Pinagmulan: IEA

Paano Maaaring Mabawasan ang mga Emisyon ng Metano?

Ang mga tagas, napabayaang lugar ng produksiyon ng fossil fuel, at gas flaring ay pawang malalaking pinagmumulan ng methane na maaaring tugunan sa halos walang netong gastos.

Ilan sa maraming solusyong maaaring ipatupad gamit ang kasalukuyang teknolohiya at mapagkukunan ay ang mga sumusunod:

• Pagbibigay ng access sa malinis na enerhiya sa mga site na nagpoprodyus ng fossil fuel.
• Pagbabawas ng flaring.
• Pagtuklas at pag-aayos ng mga tagas.
• Mga yunit ng vapour recovery.

Other measures like plugging leaky wells or coal mine degasification could be impactful as well, but are less crucial in absolute volume.

Pinagmulan: IEA

However, the total spending is relatively small compared to the world economy, or for example, oil companies’ income or military spending, with the IEA estimate of $250B enough to cut most methane emissions.

“Tinataya naming kailangan ang humigit-kumulang USD 260 bilyong paggasta hanggang 2030 upang maipatupad ang lahat ng hakbang sa pagbabawas ng methane na kailangan para makamit ang 75% na pagbaba ng emisyon. Ang karaniwang taunang gastusing kailangan ay wala pang 2% ng netong kitang nalilikha taun-taon ng industriya ng fossil fuel.”

Marami sa mga pamumuhunang ito ang mababawi rin sa pamamagitan ng emisyong maiiwasan at ng kapaki-pakinabang na natural gas na muling makukuha at maaaring ibenta o gamitin. Gayunman, mangangailangan ng direktang pagpopondo ang ilang inisyatibang may negatibong netong pakinabang. Dahil sa halagang kailangan, maaari rin itong pondohan nang medyo madali ng mga pandaigdigang institusyon.

“Tinataya naming nasa USD 60 bilyon ang kakulangan sa pagpopondo para sa pagbabawas ng methane mula sa fossil fuel sa mga bansang mababa at katamtaman ang kita—humigit-kumulang USD 40 bilyon para sa mga aktibong operasyon at USD 20 bilyon para sa mga abandonadong pasilidad.”

Pamumuhunan sa Pagsubaybay ng Metano

Google

Google is, of course, better known as an ultra-dominant search engine, a major tool for Internet ads, a cloud service provider, and a leader in AI technology. But it is also, via its Earth Engine, the primary partner for processing methane emissions data for global regulatory use.

Earth Engine combines satellite imagery with Google’s and its partners’ algorithms to deploy this information into usable, actionable, real-world applications.

This includes ready-to-use datasets covering everything from climate, weather, geography, and agriculture, or direct access with the Earth Engine API, available in Python and JavaScript.

“Sa unang pagkakataon sa kasaysayan, ginawang posible ng Google Earth Engine ang mabilis at tumpak na pagproseso ng napakaraming satellite image, na tumutukoy nang mataas ang resolution kung saan at kailan nagbago ang lawak ng mga puno. Hindi iiral ang Global Forest Watch kung wala ito. Para sa mga nagmamalasakit sa kinabukasan ng planeta, malaking biyaya ang Google Earth Engine!”

Dr. Andrew Steer, Presidente at CEO ng World Resources Institute.

The data can be used for non-commercial purposes, in which case use is free under a strict set of conditions.

Pinagmulan: Earth Engine

It can also be used for commercial purposes, giving the client company direct access to 50+ petabytes of analysis-ready data and unparalleled analytical processing power. This can be used to demonstrate the impact of ESG initiatives, identify environmental risks, optimize agricultural yields, compare potential sites for industrial facilities like photovoltaic plants, etc.

“Nakatuon ang Unilever na makamit ang isang deforestation-free na supply chain pagsapit ng 2023. Sa paggamit ng geospatial platform na nakikinabang sa Google Earth Engine at Google Cloud, maisasakatuparan namin ang ambisyong lumikha ng isang tunay na napapanatiling supply chain.”

Andrew Wilcox, Senior Manager, Sustainable Sourcing & Digital Programs, Unilever

Many companies have been built on the back of Google Earth Engine, for example:

• Earth Blox: Nag-aalok ng no-code interface sa Earth Engine, na ginagawang accessible sa mga non-technical na gumagamit sa commercial sector
• NGIS: Nakatuon sa paghahatid ng mga insight para sa industriya ng agrikultura.
• Spatial Informatics Group (SIG): Nakatuon sa environmental decision support, na may expertise sa vegetation identification, phenology analysis, at crop monitoring.
• Climate Engine: Isang strategic partner na nagbibigay ng core applications na integrated sa Google Cloud, tumutulong sa mga negosyo na pamahalaan ang water resources at wildfire risk

Isa lamang ito sa maraming halimbawa ng kapangyarihan ng datos para sa kumpanyang tulad ng Google. Bukod sa malaking positibong epekto nito sa mga NGO at iba pang gawaing hindi pangkomersiyo, makapagbibigay rin ito ng hindi mapapalitang—at napakahalaga at mapagkakakitaan—na daloy ng datos sa napakaraming korporasyon, direkta man o sa pamamagitan ng mga vendor at curator na ginagawang praktikal na kaalaman ang datos para sa partikular na industriya o gamit.

Sa pagsisimula ng panahon ng AI, lalo pang tataas ang halaga ng ganitong kayamanan ng datos, lalo na para sa mga kumpanyang tulad ng Google na kayang gamitin ito nang lubos sa pamamagitan ng sariling kadalubhasaan sa AI; ang mga LLM tulad ng Gemini ay maliit na bahagi lamang ng kabuuan.

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