GHGSat, the global leader in high-resolution greenhouse gas monitoring from space, has successfully completed the launch of its third satellite, GHGSat-C2 (“Hugo”), which launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station this week.
The satellite, brokered and integrated via Nanoracks, separated from Falcon 9, 68 min after liftoff. Hugo is expected to enter commercial service within a few weeks.
Hugo is the result of GHGSat’s first collaboration with ABB, the engineering firm which manufactured the payload. This was a historical payload launching 143 spacecrafts to orbit, marking the most spacecrafts deployed on a single mission. Hugo made first contact 20 minutes after separation in space.
Previous GHGSat satellite launches include technology demonstrator “Claire” (or GHGSat-D), which has been in orbit since 2016, and “Iris” (GHGSat-C1), which launched September 2nd, 2020.
Hugo is the second of a fleet of 10 commercial, high-resolution satellites due to be in orbit by the end of 2022. Each satellite is equipped with a state-of-the-art sensor that detects methane emissions from sources 100 times smaller, at a resolution that is 100 times higher, than any other commercial or state-funded satellite. Iris has already detected and quantified smaller plumes than GHGSat-D (“Claire”) for industries such as oil & gas, waste management, and mining.
Source: https://www.climateaction.org/news/ghgsat-confirms-successful-launch-of-third-satellite-hugo