A new chapter for Carbon Mapper began on August 16, 2024, when Tanager-1, a state-of-the-art emissions-sensing satellite, was launched into orbit from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Made possible thanks to a unique, philanthropically funded effort led by Carbon Mapper, involving NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Planet Labs, PBC among other partners, Tanager was designed and optimized to detect, pinpoint, and quantify point sources of methane and CO₂ (in some cases called super-emitters) at extremely high resolution — down to the level of a specific facility or piece of equipment. This granularity fills an important gap in the growing ecosystem of remote sensing technologies and is paving the way for meaningful methane mitigation. 

Carbon Mapper uses detections from Tanager-1 to provide accessible emissions data and advance our public good mission to drive greenhouse gas emission reductions and accelerate local climate action globally.

So far, we are making great progress. Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve observed, the partnerships we’ve forged, and key milestones in the year since launch.

What We've Seen

Year-One at a Glance

• Number of countries with plumes observed by sector:
• • Oil and gas: 44
  • Waste: 71
  • Coal: 17
  • Electricity generation: 43 (CO₂), 12 (methane)
  • Agriculture: 3
• Number of published methane plumes: 5,392
• Number of published CO₂ plumes: 1,234
• Number of Tanager-derived Carbon Mapper sources containing published plumes: 3,563 (2,800 methane, 763 CO₂) 
• Number of published Tanager methane plumes from each sector: 
• • Oil and gas: 2,661 
  • Coal: 1,211 
  • Solid waste: 1,327
  • Livestock: 28
  • Wastewater: 9
  • Electricity generation: 40
  • Other: 90
  • Undetermined: 26
• Number of published Tanager CO₂ plumes from each sector: 
• • Oil and gas: 53
  • Electricity generation: 970
  • Other: 211

Statistics reflect a timeframe of Sep. 19, 2024 (first methane detection) through September 16, 2025.

Tracking Hidden Emissions with Groundbreaking Technology

In February 2025, Carbon Mapper began routinely publishing data from Tanager-1 to our public data portal, providing accessible and actionable data on the exact sources of emissions. 

Some data offers a unique look into methane emissions in regions where public data were previously unavailable — observations that are made possible thanks to the satellite’s unique capabilities.  

Tanager-1 has been particularly successful in unveiling emissions in traditionally hard-to-observe sources and regions of the world. Thanks to its high resolution and wide area coverage, Tanager detections have enabled Carbon Mapper to identify and quantify methane in high latitudes, persistently cloudy regions, and offshore oil and gas infrastructure.

(First image) Read more. (Second image) Read more. (Third image) Read more.

Unveiling the Biggest Mitigation Opportunities

Carbon Mapper is particularly focused on methane super-emitters, sources that emit very high volumes of methane (100kg of methane per hour according to the EPA’s definition), because they can disproportionately contribute to a region's emissions and are generally mitigatable.  Tanager-1 is optimized to detect super-emitters, so every plume on Carbon Mapper’s data portal represents a big opportunity to make significant emissions reductions for companies and operators, policymakers, and communities at large.

Within the first year of Tanager being in orbit, Carbon Mapper has quantified a total of about 141 million kg of CO₂e per hour (20-year GWP), which is about 15 Tg of methane each year! With many countries making ambitious commitments to cut their emissions, such as the Global Methane Pledge, the data is clear: addressing the super-emitters we’ve detected can help them make significant progress toward those goals in the near-term.  

Snapshot: the largest plumes observed by Tanager-1 by volume per sector

Methane:

(First image) View on our Data Portal. (Second image) View on our Data Portal. (Third image) View on our Data Portal. (Fourth image) View on our Data Portal.

CO₂:

(First image) View on our Data Portal. (Second image) View on our Data Portal. (Third image) View on our Data Portal. (Fourth image) View on our Data Portal.

How We've Driven Impact

The data is just one piece of the puzzle. Carbon Mapper has been working closely with industry, governments, and civil society partners to translate that data into action. This includes collaborations across major emitting sectors to drive mitigation, inform policy, deliver new insights on methane sources and trends, underpinning data to action tools, and empowering communities. 

Impact In Action: Sector-Specific Insights to Guide Mitigation 

Methane is complex and each emitting sector has its own challenges and opportunities related to mitigation. Observational data from Tanager-1 is allowing us to fill gaps in understanding by addressing the unique barriers decision makers face as they look to address emissions. 

Spotlight: Waste

Carbon Mapper has used observations from airborne surveys and NASA’s EMIT instrument for the past few years to conduct waste methane research and help society better understand the nature and persistence of methane and landfills across the U.S. These resulted in two peer reviewed studies, including a November 2024 study on the prevalence of large emissions from the landfill work face and a March 2024 study of the largest measurement-based landfill methane assessment to date, which identifies major emission sources missing from traditional accounting that can be prioritized for mitigation action. These airborne studies have been foundational in guiding strategies for observing landfills with remote sensing instruments and for using data to support stakeholders.

Now, with Tanager-1, decision-makers can use granular site-level data from satellites to prioritize mitigation action, track progress toward methane reduction targets, and improve emissions models. 

For example, our most recent Insight Brief on global waste sites found that of 10,000 waste sites surveys, large methane emissions were detected at 371 waste sites across 71 countries — which together emitted 6.1 million metric tons of methane per year, accounting for 9% of the global human-caused methane emitted from the waste sector. For some countries and jurisdictions, these waste super-emitters represent a significant methane reduction opportunity. 

Data and insights from Tanager-1 observations have also helped to inform the Lowering Organic Waste Methane (LOW-M) Data Strategy, launched in 2025 by LOW-M partners. This strategic framework empowers jurisdictions to design mitigation action plans to cut waste methane emissions using data-driven insights provided by Carbon Mapper and others. Using this framework, the LOW-M partners have already assisted Rio de Janeiro, Lagos, and Santo Domingo in developing emissions portfolios, which outline mitigation action plans that align expected emissions reductions with each jurisdiction’s climate goals.   

Impact In Action: Informing Policy and Engagement

As we gain more clarity into emissions, decisionmakers are eager to leverage new data and insights to underpin methane reduction policies and programs.

Over the last year, Carbon Mapper has engaged with stakeholders in over 27 countries and 14 U.S. states working with non-profits, governments, industry, and universities to inform policy development, strengthen capacity building, and empower communities. Through these collaborations, Carbon Mapper’s data and expertise have been leveraged to inform solutions across a wide spectrum, from landfill methane monitoring and gas capture programs to pipeline leak detection, emissions verification, and community-level mitigation planning. 

Spotlight - Oregon

In February and April, 2025 Carbon Mapper experts testified before the Oregon Senate Committee on Energy and Environment on the value of using satellites to monitor landfill emissions. In June, state lawmakers passed a bill to require one of Oregon’s landfills where Carbon Mapper has detected persistent methane emissions to utilize advanced technology like aircraft or satellites to better track and manage their emissions. 

Carbon Mapper plays a critical role in helping decision makers translate data into action. Internationally, we presented our data and insights on developing government-led programs to tackle super-emitters at a Clean Air Task Force workshop for Kazakhstan policymakers and industry representatives working to strengthen oil, gas, and coal methane regulations. We also presented on how new satellite technologies can be used for transformative action in reducing methane across sectors at the TED Climate Countdown workshop in Nairobi, Kenya to a diverse audience ranging from stakeholders in national government to the finance sector. We provided examples of how satellite data and scientific insights can inform local action, drive policy change and guide prioritization of local resources.

We are also developing resources to help build capacity to use our data most effectively. Examples include webinars designed to help general portal users navigate the tool, help decision makers in the waste sector access data and insights on emissions from landfills, and support journalists as they look to use our observations to underpin effective reporting on methane emissions.  

Impact In Action: Underpinning Data to Action Tools

Mitigating methane requires an all-encompassing approach. Carbon Mapper partners with diverse expertise in markets, finance, policy, and public health have used our data to develop tools designed to empower and guide stakeholder action.

Spotlight: The Methane Risk Map

Reducing methane emissions — especially methane super-emitters — is not only one of the fastest ways to slow the rate of global warming, but addressing them can also improve our public health. With the Methane Risk Map, PSE Healthy Energy combines Carbon Mapper data with key health-related information such as gas composition data to bring transparency to the true impacts of these emissions events and where they pose a threat to people. Together, these critical datasets are unearthing the health risks that super-emitters pose to communities and individuals, unlocking powerful new channels for mitigation action. Learn more.

 Other Data to Action Tools At-a-Glance

(First image) Learn more. (Second image) Learn more. (Third image) Learn more.

Impact in Action: Empowering Direct Mitigation

Carbon Mapper works directly with industry, regulators and civil society to turn our data into real-world methane reductions. Tanager-1’s detection sensitivity and spatial resolution has enabled Carbon Mapper to attribute observed emissions events down to a specific facility or piece of equipment, like a malfunctioning flare, or an oil and gas pipeline leaking methane. Many of our registered data portal users are incorporating our data into their every day work. From regulators who have used our data to follow up on unlit and malfunctioning flares to industry operators who are using our data to improve their operational practices, we know that our global data is driving direct mitigation. 

Our First Success Story in the Permian Basin

Such is the case in Texas where, on Oct. 9 2024, Tanager-1 detected a large plume of methane which Carbon Mapper determined was stemming from a gathering pipeline in the Permian Basin. The team reported the leak to a state agency and the U.S. Government who subsequently notified the facility operator. The operator quickly responded and voluntarily conducted repairs, leading to meaningful emissions reduction. Follow up observations from Tanager-1 detected no plume, confirming the leak was successfully fixed.

Growing Capacity for Action

In early August, Carbon Mapper launched a targeted initiative to help state agencies and operators in key oil and gas producing regions identify and address highly mitigatable leaks from sources like pipelines, flares and tanks. The project is aimed at accelerating mitigation through timely, collaborative, and solution-oriented outreach. Thus far we’ve identified nearly 50 potentially actionable emissions events and issued over a dozen notifications of which 85% have either been mitigated or are being addressed.

Supporting State Leadership 

Across the country, leading states are signaling growing momentum around integrating remote sensing into public sector climate action to protect health and advance climate goals. One example is the state of California, which in March 2024 announced that its Satellite Data Purchase Program will leverage Tanager to reduce methane emissions and tackle climate change in the state, advancing its goal to cut 40% of its methane emissions by 2030 compared to 2013 levels. 

Another example is Colorado, where landfills are the state's third-largest source of methane pollution. Within Colorado's Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap 2.0, the state has proposed updated landfill regulations that require operators to respond to emissions detections by third parties like Carbon Mapper.

What's Next

Tanager-1 is just the beginning. Thanks to the success of this first satellite, Planet has committed to building and deploying three additional Tanager satellites. Growing the constellation will increase global coverage and sampling frequency, yielding even more actionable and timely public data.

These are important steps along the way toward Carbon Mapper’s bold aspiration: to scale up observational capabilities to detect and track 90% of global super-emitter activity with daily frequency or better.

Learn More

Visit the Carbon Mapper Data Portal.

Subscribe to receive email alerts below.