GHGSat

Based in Montreal, Canada, GHGSat specializes in high-resolution remote sensing and satellite-based monitoring of greenhouse gases from space. GHGSat’s key offerings include (1) Data.SAT, (2) Global survey and third-party emissions data, (3) Emission analytics, (4) Spectra, and (5) Data.AIR.

GHGSat's Data.SAT service provides high-resolution satellite data to monitor greenhouse gas emissions from the company’s own satellite constellation. The company operates its own constellation of satellites equipped with proprietary sensors to detect and quantify emissions of gases such as methane and carbon dioxide from industrial facilities globally. In particular, GHGSat's satellite Claire, launched in June 2016, is the world's first satellite capable of monitoring greenhouse gas emissions directly from industrial sites. Using a high-resolution spectrometer, Claire detects methane and other gases with a spatial resolution of 50 meters.

Data.SAT offers precise measurements of methane and carbon dioxide emissions, enabling users to identify, quantify, and track emission sources. Data.SAT supports customized reporting and integrates with existing environmental monitoring systems, providing insights for reducing emissions and mitigating climate impact. Notably, in 2023, GHGSat signed a contract with ABB for the development of sensors for its C12, C13, C14, and C15 satellites.

GHGSat's Global Survey service offers global monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions using satellite data including third-party emissions data. Its Emission Analytics is GHGSat's precision emissions intelligence service that offers detailed analysis of emissions metrics and patterns and reporting on greenhouse gas emissions, while SPECTRA is its emissions intelligence platform.

GHGSat's Data.AIR service provides airborne monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions using aircraft equipped with advanced sensors. This service offers high-resolution data for detecting and quantifying methane and carbon dioxide emissions over large areas. It is particularly useful for monitoring emissions from regions that are difficult to access by satellite.

In 2022, GHGSat, equipped with six satellites, monitored more than 500,000 facilities globally, identifying 179 million tonnes of CO2e emissions, a 25% increase from 2021.

Key customers and partnerships

A noteworthy customer of GHGSat is NASA, which provided GHGSat with its methane emissions data to support Earth science research as part of the space agency’s Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition (CSDA) program through a Multiple-Award Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract.

Notable partnerships include its tie-up with SpaceX to launch its satellites into orbit including the launch of its GHGSat-C6, C7, and C8 satellites during the SpaceX Transporter-7 rideshare mission in April 2023.

Furthermore, GHGSat collaborated with Orbital Eye to provide high-resolution satellite emissions data to integrate into Orbital Eye’s pipeline monitoring service as part of a project led by the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NGC). In December 2023, GHGSat signed an MoU with Al Yah Satellite Communications Company and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) to develop a program aimed at reducing methane emissions from the global energy sector, with a focus on National Oil Companies (NOCs) in the Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and Central Asia.

Notably, GHGSat awarded a contract to Spire Global in August 2023 to build, launch, and operate four new satellites, each carrying GHGSat payloads.