Insights from a Space Mission Visionary: Meet MethaneSAT’s Peter Vedder

Peter Vedder joined the MethaneSAT team in 2020 as part of the Environmental Defense Fund ’s Office of the Chief Scientist. Together with his team, he ensures that the satellite will operate properly and collect data as intended: “I manage the people, the software and the tools that we need to fly the MethaneSAT mission, meaning ensuring it’s safe and healthy in orbit, and that it is delivering the data and measurements we are looking for it to provide,” he explains.

From Astrophysics to Earth Observation

Peter has a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the 美国麻省理工学院 (MIT), where he started his career analyzing the data collected from a variety of NASA spacecraft. He then moved to the 美国加州大学伯克利分校 to support the build, launch and operation of an extreme ultraviolet astronomy satellite. Following that, he took up a role as visiting scientist at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Headquarters in Washington, DC, where he helped the astrophysics division manage a variety of programs that collected data at the forefront of astronomy, including the Hubble Telescope.??

“These early years are when I got hooked on understanding the capabilities of how to use spacecraft and instruments to measure things we cannot see or measure from the ground,” he said. “In fact, even now, the common theme of all my work is that I am involved in missions that are collecting data and science that is impossible to get from anywhere other than space.”??

After his time at NASA, Peter continued working for private companies including supporting the United Arab Emirates (UAE). For the UAE, he joined a team that was sending a spacecraft to Mars to understand the atmosphere and help the nation develop a national space program.?

The emission mission

When asked about his motivation to join the MethaneSAT mission, he says: “First, the purpose of MethaneSAT. This is one of the few projects that has a very focused goal of trying to make a significant positive impact on the Earth. Other missions may have this as one of their core values, but it’s at the heart and soul of what we do at MethaneSAT,” he said.

“Second, everything we do is based on science, so you feel that you are contributing in a meaningful way to delivering impact. Your work doesn’t just turn up in a few research papers, it’s a crucial part of what’s enabling both MethaneSAT and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to drive positive changes.”?

“Finally, EDF has a breadth of scientists, from social scientists to data analysts, to experts in all aspects across air, oceans and space; the expertise is astonishing,” he says.

Making the invisible visible

“Observing from space, MethaneSAT will enable us to capture a scale that is just not possible via aircraft. We’ll be able to look at places that haven’t been studied before and create the first comprehensive emissions map across the globe.” Quoting MethaneSAT lead Steve Hamburg , Peter says that “MethaneSAT will enable us to answer three key questions:

Where is methane coming from?

How much is coming from a specific source?

How is it changing from over time?

This means we will finally have specific data on emission rates. Most similar efforts have looked only at concentration, which means how many molecules of methane are floating in the atmosphere, measured in parts per billion”, Peter explains. “That tells us how much methane is in the atmosphere, but doesn’t give us information about where it’s coming from. MethaneSAT will let us determine how many kilograms of methane are being emitted per hour in an area, which is the kind of data oil and gas producers can use to go out and fix leaks.”

Radical transparency for climate action

The first data and images from MethaneSAT will be available around two months after launch, which is incredibly fast compared to most remote sensing missions, according to Peter. “The satellite gives us the ability to collect large amounts of data very quickly. With MethaneAIR [a jet airplane currently collecting methane data over North America], we are collecting 100 kilometers by 100 kilometers worth of data in a few hours. MethaneSAT can collect four times that area of data in 30 seconds. This means we can do dozens of target collections every day, which gives us a greater understanding of how methane levels are changing over time.”

“We’ll make all of that information publicly available as we process it, which is also uncommon for this type of work. We will be able to produce images so quickly because we’ve already been building the data processing platform in parallel. We want to immediately start using the data for action because there’s no time to waste,” he says.

While the mission aims at reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry by 75% by 2030, Peter highlights the importance to see the full picture: “We know that there are major methane sources in agriculture, including livestock and farmland. That’s why we are exploring potential additional targets from those sectors together with partners like the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in New Zealand.

When asked about career advice, Peter responds: “Stay curious and stay flexible. Be curious about different things even outside of your focus area and comfort zone. Be willing to try new opportunities as they come along. There are lots of different pathways to get from point A to B.

There may be opportunities that come along that may not come again, and those may take you in a direction that is many times better than what you’ve been told is the right career path for someone in your field. Every experience and everything you try will teach you something that you can use in the future.??

I started out as a scientist, but the past 25+ years of my career have not been directly science. Instead, I’ve been supporting science in a very specific way. Having the scientific background means that I can fully appreciate what these missions are trying to do, and I’m able to better understand where we may need to make adjustments to improve data collection, mission performance or scientific returns.“

Learn more about MethaneSAT here and sign up for satellite news here .