"All Systems Go!" Canadian Satellite That Measures GHG Emissions Is Ready for Launch


MONTREAL, QC--(Marketwired - November 25, 2015) -

  • Canadian start-up GHGSat offers the world a state-of-the art satellite to fight against climate change.
  • Largest backers to date include both traditional fossil fuel and clean energy companies.
  • A Kickstarter campaign has been launched to support demonstrations of the satellite's ability to measure GHG emissions in various locations around the world.

Today, GHGSat announced it has successfully completed testing of its demonstration satellite, which will soon provide a new way to measure greenhouse gas emissions from industrial facilities anywhere in the world, enabling emissions reductions in a wide range of industries. The satellite is ready for its scheduled launch in April of 2016 from India's Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

Industrial site operators worldwide must increasingly consider the cost of their greenhouse gas emissions. In order to manage and ultimately reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, industrial site operators need the best possible measurements, at the lowest possible cost. GHGSat will serve this need using innovative satellite-based remote sensing technology, designed to monitor emissions from individual industrial facilities in industries such as oil & gas, power generation, mining and waste management.

"All systems go! This milestone is the culmination of two years of intense effort by a team of Canadian engineers and scientists," said Stéphane Germain, President of GHGSat. "GHGSat is bringing technological innovation in the aerospace industry to the fight against climate change."

The final round of satellite testing included thermal vacuum tests to simulate the temperature cycling and vacuum environment typical of low Earth orbit, as well as vibration tests to simulate the loads that the satellite will experience during launch. System performance was validated using NASA satellite data, laboratory tests and end-to-end simulations. Satellite testing was performed at the component, subsystem and system levels.

Satellite development has been performed by a team of partners including Xiphos Technologies, the Space Flight Laboratory at the University of Toronto's Institute for Aerospace Studies, and MPB Communications. The Boeing Company also provided GHGSat with expertise in systems engineering and space vehicle design and integration as part of the company's commitment to small business innovation in Canada.

Simultaneously with this milestone, GHGSat is launching a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to fund demonstrations around the world using our new satellite, in places where customers need to be convinced of our technology's benefits. The campaign is called "CLAIRE", and can be found at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1304450833/claire-going-out-of-this-world-for-earths-climate.

About GHGSat
GHGSat's mission is to become the global reference for remote sensing of greenhouse gas (GHG) and air quality gas emissions from industrial sites, using satellite technology.

GHGSat's novel technology will enable GHG and air quality gas measurement with better accuracy at a fraction of the cost of comparable alternatives. Owners of industrial facilities will be able to monitor all of their facilities, local or remote, anywhere in the world, with a common technology, in near-real-time. Significantly improved emissions information will enable industries to better measure, control, and ultimately reduce emissions of GHGs and air quality gases.

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Contact Information:

Contact:
Stephane Germain
GHGSat Inc.
Tel: +1-514-847-9474 x205
Email: stephane.germain@ghgsat.com

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