Climate: Successful launch of three Montreal GHG detector satellites

Montreal – Thanks to three new satellites launched Wednesday from Florida on Wednesday, Montreal-based GHGSat now has a set of six satellites in space that can detect methane emissions produced by humans living on Earth with rare accuracy.

At 2:35 pm, the American company SpaceX’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was launched with three satellites as part of the Transporter-5 mission.

Stephen Jermaine, CEO of GHGSat, saw the departure from NASA’s base in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

“This is a wonderful day, and we’re so glad to see the rocket take off without any problems,” Stephen Jermaine pointed out in a phone interview with the Canadian Press a few minutes after takeoff.

The satellites Luca, Diego and Penny bear the first names of the children of members of the company founded by Stephen Germain.

“They bear the names of children, so we always remember why we do,” said the founder of GHGSat, emphasizing the “importance of fighting climate change.”

Stephen Germain, CEO of GHGSat, added: “We plan to bring our galaxy to ten satellites, with many more launches now and by the end of 2023.

In Montreal, near the company’s headquarters in Saint-Laurent Boulevard, dozens of employees gathered to watch the release live on giant screens.

“I’m very excited and having three satellites is a big step,” said Marianne Girard, a satellite imagery expert at GHGSat. Let’s see once ”.

With pride in his eyes and a smile on his face, GHGSat’s Chief Technology Officer Eric Edwards told the Canadian Press that the three new satellites have a much stronger detection capability than any other satellite the company has launched into space since 2016.

Eric Edwards noted, “We need more satellites because we have more customers.

GHGSat data is used by businesses, governments and regulators.

The Quebec SME boasts of being the only satellite system in the world capable of high-resolution detection of greenhouse gases from oil fields or landforms. This information is needed to develop policies to combat and adapt to climate change.

List and account of GHGs

Listing and calculating all sources of GHG emissions is a major challenge.

States and large corporations must prepare themselves with precision measuring instruments to achieve their obligations to reduce GHGs and focus on measuring GHGSat methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

Get rid of cheaters

GHGSat satellites can be used to “catch cheaters” and ensure that countries and companies are honest and transparent about the amount of methane they emit.

A few weeks ago, the International Energy Agency announced that several countries were significantly underestimating their methane emissions.

A gas more powerful than CO2

At the Glasgow Climate Conference last November, about 100 countries pledged to drastically reduce their methane emissions. It was during COP26 that the federal government announced $ 20 million in aid to businesses in Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

GHGSat significantly provides its data to the International Monitor for Methane Emissions (IMEO), which reports to the UN.

The organization’s latest report indicates that methane, which is released directly into the atmosphere, is 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide (CO2) over a 20 – year period.

In fact, a study released Monday by the Washington-based Institute for Personality and Sustainable Development (IGSD) found that CO2 reductions alone could not prevent temperatures from rising above 1.5 C compared to pre-industrial temperatures. Paris Climate Agreement.

IGSD researchers emphasize the importance of dealing with methane to avoid climate disaster.