SFL Missions Inc. confirms the successful launch and deployment of the GHGSat-C18 (Eleanor) and GHGSat-C19 (Aidan) commercial greenhouse gas monitoring microsatellites. The October 1 launch brings the number of spacecraft developed for GHGSat to 13.

SFL Missions developed the GHGSat-C18 and -C19 satellites on the same low-cost, high-performance 15-kg NEMO platform used to build 11 earlier GHGSat spacecraft. Launched aboard the SpaceX Transporter 18 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, the microsatellites were integrated and tested at SFL Missions’ facility in Vaughan, Ontario, where 32 additional spacecraft are under development.

“GHGSat is the industry leader in space-based monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions, and SFL Missions is pleased that our proven microspace technology has served as the foundation for its growing commercial business,” said SFL Missions Director and CEO Dr. Robert E. Zee.

“SFL Missions has been instrumental in helping us build a world-class emissions-monitoring constellation,” said Stephane Germain, CEO of GHGSat. “C18 and C19 represent the next step in that journey. Our ability to scale as quickly as we have is a direct reflection of the caliber of partners like SFL, and we’re excited to see these satellites take flight.”

Based in Montreal, GHGSat pioneered facility-level greenhouse gas emissions-monitoring from space. Decision makers across governments and industries including oil and gas, power generation, mining, waste management, and agriculture rely on GHGSat emissions data to drive emissions reduction and accelerate the decarbonization of the planet.

GHGSat has worked closely with SFL to develop its greenhouse gas monitoring satellite constellation for more than a decade due to SFL’s exceptional record of on-orbit successes. A key factor in SFL’s selection to develop the 2016 GHGSat Pathfinder mission was the critical importance of precise attitude control and target tracking capabilities of SFL spacecraft. These capabilities enable exact pointing of the onboard sensors for accurate detection and measurement of greenhouse gas emissions from sources on the ground from 500 km above Earth’s surface.

“SFL Missions is one of the few organizations in the world that can reliably deliver the attitude stability and pointing performance required by GHGSat for such small satellites,” said SFL Missions’ Zee. “Our smaller satellite platforms offer a combination of size, performance, reliability and cost effectiveness that is unmatched in the space sector today.”

In addition, SFL Missions incorporates robust design margins into every satellite, and these include the onboard power systems, data storage, and downlink capacities. These margins in orbit translate into better operations and longer missions, contributing to the better-than-anticipated collection capacity that GHGSat has achieved with its earlier NEMO-based spacecraft.

The SFL Missions heritage of nearly 500 cumulative years in orbit includes missions developed for commercial, government, and research organizations worldwide. 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.