Objectives of the Product

A key unmet demand from Oil & Gas companies is the reliable and easy detection of methane emissions so:

• Companies can comply with worldwide regulations
• Companies can take responsibility

Airbus aims to offer reliable and easy worldwide monitoring of methane emissions (onshore and offshore) using a fleet of satellites.

Customers and their Needs

The primary customers and users that are targeted are Oil & Gas companies, governmental organisations (the European Space Agency/European Commission, national governments), finance sector and scientists.

The issue is that customers are not satisfied with the existing satellite services for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions monitoring, which do not reach the detection limits needed to detect the actual leaks in their facilities.

The primary customers participate in a series of collaborative workshops to help shape a service that will enhance their operational efficiency and environmental stewardship, while reducing the overall costs of emission detection.

The main challenge is to provide high resolution methane emission monitoring at affordable cost.

Targeted customer/users countries

The service is offered to customers all around the world.

Product description

Airbus aims to offer reliable and easy worldwide monitoring of methane emissions (onshore and offshore) using a constellation of small satellites.

The innovation aspect that Airbus is focusing on is the space-based monitoring at unprecedented resolution and at viable cost.

How it works:

• A customer subscribes to the monitoring of a facility(-ies)
• Airbus provides regular methane emission measurements for that facility(-ies) in line with the service level set (sensitivity, false detection rate, localization, frequency).

The product/system architecture is:

Added Value

Key Benefits:

• Global routine monitoring, fully automated
• Reliable space-based detection at unprecedented resolution
• Effortless access, everywhere (e.g. remote, inaccessible, non-operated sites)
• Adapt with ease to facility park changes
• Consistent data for tracking long-term progress
• Facility-wide benchmarking: consistent, comparable, clear
• Preconfigured reporting: speed with precision
• Enhancing workplace safety with automation
• Methane and CO2, detected together.

Current Status

By teaming up with SRON, Airbus is developing a constellation of small satellites that can measure methane emissions at facility level with unprecedented resolution. Both are world leaders in the domain of space based atmospheric monitoring with a proven track record in methane emissions monitoring (e.g. ESA Sentinel-5p TROPOMI)..