Methane is a greenhouse gas 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide, but until recently, no accurate real-time global monitoring system for methane emissions was available. Now, a partnership between the European Space Agency (ESA) and data analytics company Kayrros has established the satellite-enabled Methane Watch. This made it possible for over 100 countries to join the Global Methane Pledge, launched at the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference (COP 26).

Methane Watch combines data from the Copernicus atmospheric monitoring satellite, Sentinel-5P, with the latest algorithms developed by Kayrros to detect and quantify methane emissions. The system can rapidly identify super-emitting events from the oil and gas sector, as well as monitoring aggregate methane emissions from regions. 

Robust evidence

The validity of the system was confirmed in a scientific study, published in the leading journal Science, that revealed super-emitter events accounted for up to 12% of the oil and gas sector’s methane emissions. These events usually take place during maintenance or equipment failures and, due to their intermittent nature, could not previously be systematically detected. With Methane Watch, they can be found and measured, prompting action to stem them. 

The existence of this robust monitoring system paved the way for the Global Methane Pledge, in which over 100 countries have agreed to cut their methane footprint by at least 30% by 2030. 

“Thanks to Methane Watch and the use of satellite data, we are now able to move from assumptions about methane emissions to factual and quantified observations, such as the intensity of methane leaks” say Arnaud Runge and Ana Raposo, in charge of the Methane Watch project for ESA. “The ability to take the inventory of greenhouse gases is certainly a key enabler for better decisions and actions on energy policy and contribute to preserve our planet.”

Informing action and policy

With the ongoing support of ESA Business Applications, Kayrros Methane Watch will support governments and energy companies in their efforts to reduce their environmental impact in a cost-effective manner. 

Antoine Rostand, CEO of Kayrros, announced at COP 26 that the company will also provide its data to the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO), an initiative from the United Nations Environment Programme, which will use satellite analytics to build a global public record of verified emissions. 

“As dire as the climate change outlook may be, invention, that proverbial daughter of necessity, is once again coming to the rescue. Our public-private partnership of earth observation and cutting-edge artificial intelligence is casting a spotlight on a source of global warming that was long hopelessly elusive.” 

Together with Project Cyclotron, a joint venture between Cap Vista Ltd and Singapore Space & Technology Ltd. (SSTL), ESA Space Solutions organised a special Investor Forum. 13 innovators presented their ventures to a group of 30 European and Asian Investors. This collaboration is a first step towards facilitating access to new markets to European space innovation.

As part of the events organised under the Global Space and Technology Conference (GSTC), ESA in partnership with Project Cyclotron (a joint venture between Cap Vista Ltd (the strategic investment arm of Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency) and Singapore Space & Technology Ltd (SSTL)) hosted a special edition of the ESA Investor Forum.

Thirteen ventures of both ESA and Project Cyclotron’s portfolio pitched their innovations to a group of 30 European and Asian investors. The event ran on a hybrid format, live, and remote pitching, showcasing a variety of upstream technologies, downstream services, materials as well as technology transfer. It demonstrated that space could power any vertical market.

Frank Salzgeber, Head of Innovation and Ventures at ESA said “Supporting start-ups and scale-ups growth is also part of our job. The Singaporean ecosystem offers great opportunities. Project Cyclotron and SSTL are great partners for this journey.”

Zhen Hao Chng, CEO of Cap Vista added "We endeavour to build up the deep tech ecosystem in this region, comprising not just the start-ups but also global deep tech investors looking to invest in this region. ESA possesses unique investor networks and corporate inroads for our startups to scale globally and is a natural partner for us."

Both ESA and Project Cyclotron expressed their excitement about the results of the investment forum. Both partners expressed their intention to continue working together in the future for the benefit of space-related innovation.