RTX Provides Blue Canyon Satellite to Help Solve a Crucial Climate Challenge
April 16, 2024 | RTXEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Blue Canyon Technologies, RTX's small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider, announced the successful launch and initial contact with the MethaneSAT satellite. MethaneSAT is the first satellite funded by a nonprofit organization to accelerate more effective efforts to reduce emissions of methane, a greenhouse pollutant responsible for about 30 percent of today's global warming.
Blue Canyon provided its Saturn-class bus, integrated with infrared spectrometers, that will be used to detect the colorless and odorless gas methane. This is the fifth Blue Canyon Saturn-class platform to launch and operate on-orbit successfully. Blue Canyon's platform offers robust power systems, secure data handling and industry-leading guidance and navigation with a 200-kg payload capacity.
"Blue Canyon Technologies' proven technical solutions will support this critical mission for the future of our planet and the continued exploration of Earth sciences," said Chris Winslett, general manager for Blue Canyon Technologies.
MethaneSAT LLC, the organization behind the satellite, is a subsidiary of the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund. The donor-funded mission will provide global, high-resolution detection and quantification of methane emissions.
"MethaneSAT is a unique and demanding mission that will provide essential data we believe no other satellite can provide," said Dr. Steven Hamburg, MethaneSAT Executive Manager and Project Lead. "Blue Canyon Technologies was selected as a best-in-class bus provider and has been a critical partner in bringing this project to fruition."
Research says that cutting methane emissions from fossil fuel operations, agriculture and other sectors as quickly as possible using existing solutions could slow the rate of warming by as much as 30 percent, which is critically important while working to decarbonize the energy system. Data from MethaneSAT, the most advanced methane tracking satellite in space, will help policymakers and industry find and fix the problem faster and more effectively.
Suggested Items
Eutelsat, ATSS Renew Strategic Partnership for Premium Satellite Services Across MENA
02/14/2025 | BUSINESS WIREEutelsat and Saudi Arabia’s Advanced Telecommunications Solutions and Services (ATSS) have renewed their satellite capacity agreement on the EUTELSAT 8 West B satellite reinforcing the long-standing collaboration between the two companies. The contract signing took place during the LEAP event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Lockheed Martin Matures Next Secure Communications Satellite Solution for U.S. Space Force with Major Design Milestone
02/11/2025 | Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin has now proven the readiness of its satellite design in support of the U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command’s upcoming Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) Service Life Extension (SLE) program through successful execution of an Early Design Review (EDR).
SFL Missions Awarded Canadian Space Agency Contract for HAWC Satellite Mission Conceptual Design Study
02/07/2025 | BUSINESS WIRESFL Missions Inc. has been awarded a competitive bid contract by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to conduct a conceptual design study of the planned High-Altitude Aerosols, Water vapour, and Clouds (HAWC) satellite mission. HAWC is Canada’s contribution to NASA’s Atmosphere Observing System (AOS) mission slated for launch in 2031.
DesignCon 2025: Stacking the Professional Deck
02/05/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007After two full days of technical presentations, networking, and visiting with exhibitors on the show floor, the final day at DesignCon featured an exciting lineup of sessions and discussions, culminating in a wealth of knowledge for electronics professionals and included a thought-provoking keynote on global connectivity through low-earth orbit satellites presented by Amazon's Nima Mahanfar. Additionally, the Women in Engineering reception provided valuable insights on work-life balance and personal growth in the industry.
Airbus-built SpainSat NG-I satellite Successfully Launched
01/31/2025 | AirbusThe first of the two Airbus-built new generation SpainSat satellites, SpainSat NG-I, has been successfully launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, in the U.S. Operated by Hisdesat for the Spanish Armed Forces,