MethaneSAT

Name

MethaneSAT

Legal name

MethaneSAT, LLC

Website

https://methanesat.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Earth Observation Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

Satellite/Aerial/Remote Sensing MRV (Methane plumes, land-use change) (EUAHADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Remote Sensing & Geospatial MRV (Satellite, Aerial, LiDAR, SAR) (EUABACAF), Fugitive Emissions & Leak Detection (LDAR, OGI, Methane) (EUAHADAB)

Keywords

• Satellite methane monitoring
• Greenhouse gas detection
• Oil gas emissions data
• Environmental satellite imagery
• Climate monitoring data

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding and Donations: MethaneSAT is a nonprofit subsidiary of Environmental Defense Fund. It is funded through grants and donations from foundations and individuals. Major funders include the Bezos Earth Fund ($100M announced in 2020 + $10M announced in 2024), The Audacious Project, Valhalla Foundation, and numerous other philanthropic donors. No commercial revenue is generated from data sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

MethaneSAT operates a custom-built satellite and aircraft system (MethaneAIR) to measure and quantify global methane emissions from oil and gas operations with industry-leading 3 parts per billion precision. It delivers this data as a free, publicly accessible resource through three primary channels: a web data portal, Google Earth Engine, and Google Cloud Platform. The offering covers 41 oil and gas basins across 25 countries and provides emissions data at three scales (total regional, dispersed area, and distinct point source) that enables operators, regulators, researchers, investors, and NGOs to identify, quantify, benchmark, and track methane emissions over time.

Product overview

MethaneSAT is an environmental nonprofit technology organization that provides a satellite and aircraft-based methane detection and measurement system. The core offering consists of the MethaneSAT Data Portal (interactive web platform), direct data access via Google Earth Engine and Google Cloud Platform, and MethaneAIR aircraft measurements. The system delivers methane emissions data at three spatial scales: total regional emissions (200km x 200km areas), dispersed area emissions (4km x 4km grid heatmaps), and distinct point sources (~500 kg/hr detection threshold). Data from over 41 oil and gas basins across 25 countries is freely available. The satellite was lost in June 2025 after ~12 months of operation, but aircraft monitoring continues and existing data continues to be processed and released.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MethaneAIR: A specially equipped jet aircraft using similar technology to MethaneSAT for measuring methane emissions from oil and gas operations across North America.

Products and services

• MethaneSAT Data Portal Web-based interactive platform for exploring, visualizing, and analyzing methane emissions data collected by the MethaneSAT satellite and MethaneAIR aircraft. Users can view total emissions, dispersed source heatmaps, distinct point sources, and filter by operator across global oil and gas basins.
• MethaneSAT via Google Earth Engine Geospatial analysis distribution of MethaneSAT data on Google Earth Engine enabling technical users to analyze emissions alongside other datasets. Available for free to researchers, nonprofits, and academic institutions; commercial entities require a paid Google subscription.
• MethaneSAT via Google Cloud Platform Direct data download option from Google Cloud Storage for users preferring offline access or ingestion onto their own cloud infrastructure. Subject to Google egress fees.
• MethaneAIR Aircraft-based methane detection system using a modified Lear 35 jet equipped with similar spectrometers to the MethaneSAT satellite. Flights map and quantify emissions from oil and gas basins across North America as a complement to satellite observations.
• MethaneSAT Scenes Pre-processed datasets and visualizations for specific regions over specific time periods showing precise emission levels, sources, and changes over time. Over 180 scenes have been published covering 45 different oil and gas-producing regions globally.
• Level 3 and Level 4 Data Products Processed satellite data products. Level 3 provides gridded emissions data and Level 4 provides flux products quantifying emission rates. Nearly 800 researchers, analysts, and technical users across industry, government, academia, and NGOs have been granted access.
• Oil and Gas Infrastructure Mapping (OGIM)

Quantifiable outcome

• Oil and gas methane emissions found to be 50% higher than reported in EDGAR and EPA inventories
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability6 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Carbon Mapper CoalitionsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024Carbon Mapper and MethaneSAT announced a complementary partnership in June 2024. While Carbon Mapper focuses on individual facility-level methane detections (30m resolution, >100 kg/hr), MethaneSAT covers regional/basin-scale total emissions. Together they provide a fuller picture for stakeholders. Both organizations make data publicly available.
• Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMethaneSAT was conceived and developed by EDF and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the global environmental nonprofit. EDF's team of experts, advocates, and advisors helps turn MethaneSAT data into concrete action worldwide. EDF's address is 301 Congress Ave., Suite 1700, Austin, TX 78701.
• BAE Systems (Ball Aerospace)coreTechnology or IntegrationBall Aerospace designed and built the primary scientific instrument for MethaneSAT — two advanced Littrow spectrometers — in addition to leading spacecraft integration and environmental testing. Ball also provided launch support and commissioning services.
• Harvard University (School of Engineering and Applied Sciences)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarvard scientists led key algorithm development, calibration activities, and scientific research for the mission. Dr. Jonathan Franklin serves as Deputy Science Principal Investigator and Instrument Principal Investigator. Dr. Steven Wofsy leads atmospheric science contributions.
• Harvard-Smithsonian Center for AstrophysicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientists at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory contributed to instrument development, calibration, and science algorithm development for MethaneSAT. Dr. Jonathan Franklin and Dr. Xiong Liu serve as key investigators from this institution.
• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle provides cloud computing to process MethaneSAT's massive data stream, hosts the data on Google Earth Engine for advanced geospatial analysis, provides Google Cloud Storage for direct downloads, and helps improve the global database of oil and gas infrastructure used for emission attribution.
• Blue Canyon TechnologiessupportingTechnology or IntegrationBlue Canyon Technologies built the satellite bus for MethaneSAT, contributing the spacecraft platform that hosts the scientific instrument.
• IO AerospacesupportingTechnology or IntegrationIO Aerospace adapted and operates the MethaneAIR aircraft (a specially equipped Lear 35 jet) that collects methane data prior to and alongside the satellite mission. Also contributed to satellite development.
• New Zealand Space AgencysupportingTechnology or IntegrationThe New Zealand Space Agency contributed to the MethaneSAT mission as an international partner, supporting the satellite development and operations. New Zealand-based scientists also contribute to agricultural methane research.
• Rocket LabsupportingTechnology or IntegrationRocket Lab provided launch services for the MethaneSAT satellite, contributing to the mission's deployment to orbit.
• SpaceXsupportingTechnology or IntegrationSpaceX provided launch services for the MethaneSAT satellite, launching it aboard a SpaceX rocket to its operational orbit.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• CarbonClear: Carbon credit verification platform that combines remote sensing and field data to validate climate projects. Adjacent to MethaneSAT in using satellite and geospatial data for emissions verification in voluntary carbon markets.
• Sphera: Environmental, health, safety, and sustainability data and software provider for industrial operators. Comparable as an enterprise-focused platform that ingests emissions data to support compliance and ESG reporting for O&G and other industrial sectors.

Others

• Global Methane Hub: Philanthropic platform funding methane reduction efforts globally. Comparable as a fellow grant-making supporter of methane measurement and a likely coordination counterpart for any successor satellite mission.

Direct peers

• GHGSat: Commercial satellite operator providing facility- and asset-level methane detection via a constellation of satellites. Directly comparable to MethaneSAT because both deliver orbital methane measurements used by O&G operators, regulators, and investors for emissions accountability.
• Carbon Mapper: Nonprofit coalition (Planet Labs + RMI + others) developing satellite-based methane and CO2 point-source detection. Directly comparable as a publicly available methane data platform and confirmed complementary partner of MethaneSAT.
• Kayrros: Environmental and energy intelligence firm combining satellite-derived methane and activity data with proprietary analytics to quantify O&G emissions. Comparable in being a data-driven methane analytics layer serving operators, investors, and regulators.
• Climate TRACE: Global emissions inventory coalition combining satellite and ground data to track facility- and country-level greenhouse gas emissions. Comparable in its mission to make independently observed, satellite-derived climate emissions data universally accessible.

Broad incumbents

• Sentinel-5P / TROPOMI (ESA): European Space Agency's atmospheric monitoring satellite carrying the TROPOMI instrument for global methane and other trace-gas measurement. Provides broader-coverage but lower-precision methane retrievals that MethaneSAT's 3 ppb dataset is benchmarked against.
• Planet Labs: Earth observation company operating a large commercial imaging satellite constellation with some methane-related analytics. Comparable as a satellite-data infrastructure provider serving climate and O&G customers at scale.
• Spire Global: Space-to-cloud data company with a nanosatellite constellation focused on weather, maritime, and aviation analytics. Comparable as a privately funded operator deploying LEO constellations for environmental and energy-relevant Earth intelligence.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MethaneSAT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/methanesat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MethaneSAT