"As Congress debates NASA's 2026 budget, two small but mighty satellites hang in limbo: the Orbiting Carbon Observatories, specifically OCO-2 and OCO-3. Tasked with tracking carbon dioxide and plant growth globally, they are now at risk of decommissioning due to demands from the White House. Shutting these down would jeopardize information needed for agriculture, earth science and nascent work to rapidly reduce carbon dioxide levels and restore a safe climate for our children."
"The value of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory missions is enormous. These satellites do what ground stations cannot: supply continuous, global data on carbon dioxide levels, which fluctuate continuously. Insights from these OCO satellites inform the everyday decisions of farmers, energy companies, insurance underwriters and infrastructure planners who rely on precise information about our planet's changing atmosphere. Disabling or deorbiting these unique tools would have ripple effects throughout the economy."
"Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy, appointed by Trump in July, said that NASA's climate and earth science will move aside as the agency refocuses solely on space exploration according to The Hill. But ending the OCO missions would also diminish our global leadership in remote sensing. Global competitors are eager to gain an advantage by advancing their own satellite technologies if we abandon our edge. Why make it so easy for them?"
Two Orbiting Carbon Observatories, OCO-2 and OCO-3, face decommissioning as Congress debates NASA's 2026 budget and the White House demands their shutdown. These satellites track carbon dioxide and plant growth globally and provide continuous, global CO2 data that ground stations cannot. OCO-derived insights inform decisions by farmers, energy companies, insurance underwriters, and infrastructure planners. Disabling the missions would increase risks across agriculture, aquaculture, construction, and national defense and would diminish U.S. leadership in remote sensing. Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said climate and earth science will move aside as NASA refocuses on space exploration. The satellites' data could aid efforts to restore a safe climate.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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