February 4th, 2025
Top 10 Persistent Methane Sources 

Data from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission was used to study and estimate methane emissions at 217 potential locations, as shown on the accompanying map.  The paper, published in Atmosphere, Chemistry and Physics, focused on sources that emit methane gradually over time, in contrast to ‘super-emitters,’ typically oil and gas operations, coal mines or poorly managed landfills, which release

January 21st, 2025
Satellite Measurements Make Major Seafloor Map Improvements 

 The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission instruments have allowed for the clearest satellite-produced map of the seafloor to date, according to a new study in Science. The work could help researchers better understand everything from biodiversity hotspots to plate tectonics to tsunami propagation.  Ship-based sonar has a resolution of about 200-400 meters (650-1,300 feet). The Seabed 2030 project aims

January 7th, 2025
World-First Direct 5G Connection to Low Earth Orbit Satellite Opens New Era for Mobile Coverage 

ESA’s 5G/6G laboratory at its European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands successfully connected to the LEO 3 satellite operated by Telesat, a leading global satellite operator. The test was made possible through a Memorandum of Understanding signed earlier this year between ESA and Telesat, which provided access to the LEO 3 demonstration satellite.

November 22nd, 2024
NASA Satellites Reveal Abrupt Drop in Global Freshwater Levels 

An international team of scientists using observations from NASA-German satellites found evidence that Earth’s total amount of freshwater dropped abruptly starting in May 2014 and has remained low ever since. Reporting in Surveys in Geophysics, the researchers suggested the shift could indicate Earth’s continents have entered a persistently drier phase.  From 2015 through 2023, satellite measurements