NASA's Earth-observing satellites are crucial - commercial missions cannot replace them

"GHGSat, an emissions-monitoring company in Montreal, Canada, tracks methane leaks from landfill sites and oil rigs. Earth-imaging firm Planet in San Francisco, California, uses more than 200 satellites to record land and infrastructure for the energy, insurance and maritime sectors. Data-analytics company Spire in San Francisco converts radio signals from navigation satellites into estimates of ocean height and wind speed to support weather forecasts. European aerospace firm Airbus operates radar satellites that can be used to study volcanoes, wetlands and sea ice."

"As an academic researcher, I have been excited to participate in efforts to increase the adoption of data from commercial satellites to complement publicly provided information. For example, supported by NASA, I have begun to apply GHGSat data to estimate methane emissions from a landfill site in Brazil. I am also exploring how to use data from companies such as Spire to support hurricane risk-reduction efforts in Puerto Rico and Mexico."

"I have found that data gathered by commercial organizations are innovative and useful. But I also know that private companies alone cannot provide all the Earth-observation data that the world needs. Nor should they. As governments debate science budgets and consider the role of the public and private sectors in environmental monitoring, it can be tempting to look for ways to increase efficiency and move public-sector operations to the private sector. The progress of commercial satellite operators might seem"

Commercial satellite companies provide diverse Earth-observation measurements, including methane leaks, land and infrastructure imagery, ocean height, wind speed, and radar views of volcanoes, wetlands and sea ice. Space agencies such as the European Space Agency and NASA incorporate commercial data and implement evaluation processes that assess accuracy, geographic targeting and usability. Commercial data are being applied to estimate landfill methane emissions in Brazil and to support hurricane risk-reduction efforts in Puerto Rico and Mexico. Commercial data are innovative and useful, but private firms cannot supply all required Earth-observation data. Public-sector monitoring remains necessary amid government debates over science budgets and roles.

Read at Nature