From left to right: Eric Laliberté, Director General of Space Use of the Canadian Space Agency, Adina Gillespie, Director of Commercial Development, Europe of GHGSat Inc and Simonetta Cheli, Director of Earth Observation Programs . Credit: ESA / JürgenMai
Edinburgh, May 25, 2022. – High-resolution greenhouse gas monitoring company GHGSat has joined ESA’s prestigious Third Party Mission Program, ESA said. The company will share data from its commercial satellite fleet with Earth and climate change researchers free of charge.
The 45-year-old program allows the global scientific community to access high-quality data from Earth observation satellite missions. ESA’s third-party mission program includes more than 60 instruments in more than 50 space missions.
GHGSat’s five commercial satellites will participate in the project. These include Iris and Hugo which are already in orbit, as well as Luca, Penny and Diako which is expected to launch later this week. The company plans to expand the constellation to 10 satellites in 2023.
The cooperation is based on the long-term successful exchange of data where ESA and the Canadian Space Agency partnered with GHGSat. According to the association, agencies can access 5% of Iris data for free for research purposes.
Both ESA and GHGSat also support the new International Methane Emissions Observatory of the United Nations Environment Program. The observatory identifies sources of man-made methane leaks, which are a major factor in global warming.