WHITE PAPER
Advancing Signal and Data Processing for Space Payloads
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METHANESAT: USING TECHNOLOGY TO ENABLE A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
directly into the atmosphere by illegally bypassing methane
byproduct burn-off. The mission's analytics will also shorten
the time it takes to receive actionable methane emissions
data from weeks or months to a matter of days.
Because MethaneSAT's state-of-the-art spectrometer
processes data at a rate higher than can be telemetered
in real time, the spectrometer 's primary developer chose
Mercury Systems to provide SSDR solutions. The Mercury
SSDR in the satellite—the RH3480—has a store-and-forward
feature that maintains data integrity while also delaying the
transmission of data to ground stations when dedicated
links are unavailable. Each SSDR also features 480 GB of
industrial-grade flash memory and is designed for long-term
reliability in the harshest of radiation-intense environments.
With the ability to store, process, and transmit this large
amount of data, MethaneSAT will support publishing publicly
available data that can help reduce methane emissions,
illuminate ecological change, and protect natural resources.
Photo courtesy by Ball Aerospace
Humankind produces 80 million tons of oil and gas
methane emissions every year, most of which are a direct
byproduct of natural gas production. While C02 has the
largest net negative effect on climate change due to the
massive amount we produce, the threat posed by methane
emissions is just as real: it is 80 times more powerful at
warming the Earth than C02 over a 20-year timeframe.
As the world looks to move to greener technology and a
more sustainable future, it is increasingly important to
better understand the impact and source of these harmful
emissions. To help with this effort, the Environmental
Defense Fund is launching the MethanSAT mission.
MethaneSAT, at the cost of $90 million, is the world's most
advanced methane tracking satellite and is capable of
measuring methane emissions anywhere on Earth. The
satellite will find emissions and regularly monitor emission
sources, particularly within the regions that account for
at least 80% of global oil and gas production. This will
increase accountability for natural gas production sites,
and limit or stop the ability of some sites to emit methane
