fp.

In the current global political climate, it's hard not to suspect foul play with something like this. It's pure speculation at this point, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear Russia decided to use MethaneSAT as a beta test for a satellite hacking program.

defrost•7mo ago

Entertaining your take w/out endorsing it, there's this:

  MethaneSAT was uniquely suited to detect methane at the middle scale, making it ideal for spotting emissions from oil and gas production.

  This view was intended to estimate methane emissions from regions known for fossil fuel production, like the Permian Basin in the south-western US.

  It would also help efforts to identify and cap the largest sources of the potent greenhouse gas.

There's a vast constellation of satellites for nation states and transnationals with nation scale budgets to target with their own or for hire hacking capabilities.

There's no need to think Russia is the sole suspect in the pool.