The Tanager-2 Satellite Prepares for Launch

The Tanager-2 satellite, which will enable Carbon Mapper to scale up public methane data, arrived at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California ahead of its launch aboard the upcoming Transporter-18 rideshare mission with SpaceX.

This is the second of five hyperspectral, methane-sensing satellites being developed and deployed by Planet Labs PBC. Carbon Mapper uses Tanager observations to produce high-resolution, public methane data and insights that empower global decision makers to identify the biggest emission sources for fast, effective action.  

Built with a core mission to detect methane from space, Tanager satellites are made possible through a philanthropically-backed partnership between Carbon Mapper and Planet.

Satellites Reveal Global Methane Emissions

Reducing methane emissions is one of the fastest ways to slow near-term warming. Addressing methane can also benefit public health and air quality, because methane is often released alongside hazardous pollutants.

Super-emitters, facilities that emit high volumes of methane, present a particularly meaningful opportunity for immediate action across key sectors and regions worldwide. Studies show that a select number of sites have a disproportionately high climate impact.

Nearly two years of Tanager-1 data has enabled Carbon Mapper to identify areas where targeted mitigation efforts can deliver significant reductions in oil and gas basin emissions and help meet national waste-sector reduction goals. We then work with decision makers to translate these insights into action.

Tanager-2 Launch: A Milestone for Global Methane Monitoring and Mitigation

With the upcoming launch of Tanager-2, Carbon Mapper will continue to scale data-to-action efforts — with the goal of providing sustained monitoring of up to 90% of methane and CO2 super-emitters globally via a full satellite constellation. These efforts are critical to filling gaps in society’s current understanding of emissions.

Tanagers combine Carbon Mapper's science and impact expertise with Planet's agile aerospace approach. Read more about how these organizations worked together to launch Tanager-1 in August 2024.

Thanks to the success of Tanager-1, Planet has committed to building and deploying three additional Tanager satellites and integrating next-generation imaging spectroscopy technology into one additional satellite.  

Growing the Tanager constellation will not only increase global coverage and sampling frequency, but also yield insights into under-explored sectors and regions.

Turning Methane Data into Action

On the ground, Carbon Mapper is turning this momentum into action, expanding a pipeline of notification and engagement that puts data-based insights into the hands of the operators and regulators who can reduce methane.

We're working with regulators, like the California Air Resources Board on California's satellite-enabled mitigation program, and partnering with industry coalitions, like the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative to drive and scale oil and gas mitigation.  

We also collaborate with governments and jurisdictions around the world, informing policy and helping officials understand how satellite data can help inform and underpin national methane rulemaking.

Addressing methane super-emitters is critical to meeting Global Methane Pledge goals and reducing super-pollutant emissions that are harmful to climate, public health and air quality. The launch of Tanager-2 will continue to accelerate progress, inform mitigation efforts, and help decision makers take action where it matters most.

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