/// SENSOR TECHNOLOGY\\\
Orbiting sensor maps methane
Satellite based sensing system is being used to map methane emissions on earth at increased levels of resolution to identify sources
E
arlier this year, sophisticated optical sensors were launched into orbit to pro- vide another link in a network of similar
satellites that will provide global emission monitoring capability with high levels of ac- curacy. The network will be operated by GHGSat, a
company involved in high-resolution green- house gas monitoring from space. This year’s launch saw Hugo (or GHGSat-C2) shoot skyward aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Nanoracks brokered integration on the launch vehicle enabled the satellite to share a ride into orbit with other payloads, a rideshare that set a new world record for the largest number of satellites to be launched from a single rocket
A sensor constellation \\\ Hugo is the third miniature monitoring satel-
lite from GHGSat to enter orbit and is the first to feature a collaborative effort with ABB, which manufactured the payload. The previ- ous satellites were a demonstrator (Claire) launched five years ago and the first com- mercial satellite GHGSat-C1 (Iris) which launched last autumn. The three satellites have become progres-
sively more sophisticated with Hugo featur- ing state-of-the-art sensing capabilities that will become the blueprint for the rest of the constellation, comprising a fleet of 10 com- mercial, high-resolution satellites due to be in orbit by the end of 2022. The sensors in each satellite detect methane emissions from sources 100 times smaller, and at a resolution that is 100 times higher, than any other commercial or state- funded satellite. Hugo and Iris have already detected and quantified smaller plumes than Claire for industries such as oil & gas, waste management and mining. According to Stephane Germain of GHGSat, the successful launch of Hugo dou- bles the company’s commercial capacity
12 /// DAQ, Sensors & Instrumentation \\\ 2021
in orbit for performing high-resolution measurements of facility-level emissions. “This launch gets us off on a high note as
the next step in deploying our constellation,” he says. Three more GHGSat satellites are currently being manufactured each of which will in- clude patented GHGSat sensors manufactured under contract by ABB Measurement & Ana- lytics in Canada. According to Marc Corriveau, general man-
ager of ABB Measurement & Analytics Canada, the company is pleased to support the rapid launch of Hugo, following the delivery of the first of many payload replicas under manu- facturing.
“Experience gained in high-profile space
programmes like JPSS, Meteosat, MetOp, GOSAT and SciSat allowed us to refine the unique GHGSat technology. These comple- mentary missions are essential to better un- derstand our planet and carry us into a sustainable future,” he says.
GHGSat’s Hugo satellite is just one of an entire
constellation of satellites that will be in orbit by the end of 2022 to provide detailed mapping of methane emissions from industrial sites around the world, top; ABB Canada has produced the intricate optical sensor systems on board the
GHGSat satellites with very precise methane gas monitoring capabilities, above
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