SFL Missions Inc. has been awarded a contract by GHGSat of Montreal to develop two additional commercial microsatellites for the GHGSat greenhouse gas monitoring constellation. GHGSat-C18 and -C19 are being built, integrated, and tested at the SFL Missions facility in Toronto where 37 satellites are currently under development for commercial, government, and research organizations worldwide.

SFL Missions is developing GHGSat-C18 and -C19 on the same low-cost, high-performance 15-kg NEMO platform used to build 11 GHGSat satellites over the past decade. Once completed, the satellites will be transported to Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for launch together on a SpaceX Transporter mission.

“SFL Missions is pleased that GHGSat continues to rely on our exceptional record of on-orbit success and space-proven microspace technology as the foundation for its industry-leading greenhouse gas monitoring constellation,” said SFL Missions Director and CEO Dr. Robert E. Zee. “Our smaller satellite platforms offer a combination of size, performance, and cost effectiveness that is unmatched in the aerospace sector today.”

In 2016, GHGSat pioneered the detection and measurement of facility-level methane (CH4) emissions from industrial sources on the ground from a satellite orbiting 500 km above Earth’s surface. Today, customers in government and industry rely on GHGSat data to reduce emissions from oil and gas, power generation, mining, waste management, and agricultural sites worldwide. Working hand-in-hand with industry as a trusted partner, GHGSat has supported the mitigation of over 20 MT CO2E of methane since beginning operations, equivalent to the annual emissions from more than 4.6 million cars.

SFL Missions was selected to develop the two latest satellites due in part to the reliable, precise attitude control and target tracking capabilities of its satellite platforms. This enables exact pointing of the onboard sensors, which is vital to the accurate detection and measurement of greenhouse gas emissions from sources as small as 25 square meters on the ground.

“SFL has been a trusted partner throughout our journey, and their expertise has played a critical role in helping us push the boundaries of what’s possible in environmental monitoring,” said Stéphane Germain, CEO of GHGSat. “By leveraging their expertise in building microsatellite technology, we have been able to transform the emissions-monitoring industry with innovative, low-cost solutions that deliver actionable emissions data from space.”

SFL Missions is building on a heritage that has produced 91 operationally successful missions and 400+ cumulative years in orbit. The firm is developing nano-, micro-, and small satellites and constellations using space-proven bus designs from 3 to 500 kilograms for Earth observation, communications, environmental monitoring, maritime situational awareness, space astronomy, scientific research, and more.

In addition to providing end-to-end microspace mission development at its Toronto facility, SFL Missions offers a Flex Production program that gives NewSpace customers the option of having satellites developed or integrated in their own location or at a third-party site.

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