SFL Missions wins contract to build GHGSat's next-gen methane satellite
GHGSat · SFL Missions
SFL Missions will build GHGSat's higher-accuracy GHGSat-D2 demo satellite, due in orbit in early 2028.
what happened
GHGSat of Montreal contracted Toronto-based SFL Missions to develop the GHGSat-D2 demonstration satellite, per SFL's Sept. 28 release. The nearly 100-kilogram satellite, about six times the mass of SFL's earlier GHGSat builds, will fly on SFL's expanded DEFIANT-XL bus to carry a larger ABB Canada-built sensor capable of detecting methane leaks as small as 50 kilograms an hour, half what GHGSat's current fleet can reliably detect, with daily coverage of 20,000 square kilometers per satellite, twice today's figure, per SpaceQ. SFL did not state the contract's value.
why it matters
The upgrade would double GHGSat's per-satellite coverage and halve its minimum detectable leak rate, sharpening the emissions data it sells to oil and gas operators and regulators. For SFL Missions, building a satellite six times larger than its past GHGSat work signals its small-satellite line can scale to bigger payloads without losing its low-cost positioning.
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- GHGSat, SFL Missions
- Category
- contract
- Impact
- noise
- SNR
- 4 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-09-28
- Published
- 2026-10-05 05:49 UTC