GHGSat to add new optical gas sensors to greenhouse gas monitoring satellites

GHGSat, the globally renowned pioneer of greenhouse monitoring in space, has awarded a third contract to ABB to provide optical sensors for the satellites which are scheduled for launch in 2024. Satellites C12, C13, C14 and C15 will become a new part of the GHGSat constellation which is detecting and quantifying gas leaks from space. ABB has already provided GHGSat with the instruments on board ten of its emission monitoring satellites that are currently operational in space.

2023 saw GHGSat’s satellites double their methane emission monitoring capabilities because of the outstanding sensor performance. This has enabled them to speed up the expansion of its measurement services and allow them to assist industries such as the oil and gas, power generation and mining sectors in their efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

ABB has excelled in orbital gas sensing technology for over twenty years. This started when they developed the payload for the Canadian Space Agency SCISAT mission, allowing them to profile the concentration of over seventy different gas types down to parts per trillion levels from the top of the cloud to outer space. ABB also worked on the Japanese GOSAT program, by providing a hyperspectral technologies program to pioneer global mapping of sources and sinks of greenhouse gases at a regional scale from orbit; the first satellite was launched in 2009, with an updated model launched in 2018.

Stéphane Germain, GHGSat’s CEO commented, “Our collaboration, which began in 2018, has showcased ABB’s technical expertise and manufacturing capabilities. This experience has fortified our belief in ABB’s capacity to support GHGSat's expansion in building proprietary high-resolution payloads. Such partnerships are the key to achieving significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and ultimately making a concrete impact in the battle against climate change.”

Space is the only place where greenhouse gas emissions can be measured, with no restrictions, across nations and jurisdictions therefore enabling completely unbiased reporting.