# Detecting cow burps from space

An episode of [Our Changing World](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/208013620), 22 Sep 2025, 26 min.

Audio: https://flex.acast.com/media.rnztools.nz/rnz-kete-oro-prod/video/private/ac_mp3,af_48000,br_192k,f_mp3,fl_attachment/v1759720628/audio/ocw/ocw-20250923-0500-cow_burps_from_space.mp3

In March 2024, a satellite built to detect the potent greenhouse gas methane launched into orbit – backed by New Zealand to a final total of $32 million. MethaneSAT aimed to pinpoint large leaks from oil and gas fields, since plugging these is considered an easy climate win. But an add-on mission was investigating whether the satellite could pick up the smaller, more diffuse methane emissions from agriculture. Our Changing World joined the New Zealand-based team testing this capability – before disaster struck. With MethaneSAT uncontactable and lost in space, what did the mission deliver? This episode was updated on 6 October to include the correct total figure of the New Zealand's contribution to MethaneSAT of $32 million. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. In this episode: 00:00 – 03:08: Introduction 03:08 – 05:38: A methane-measuring device takes off from the airfield 05:38 – 16:32: Ground-based methane measurements with the EM-27 16:32 – 25:29: What went wrong, and what data MethaneSAT did collect… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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