A joint US-NZ space mission operation, MethaneSat aims to help tackle climate change through a methane-tracking satellite. It is the first New Zealand government funded space mission, with a $26 million investment.

The Minister of Research, Science and Innovation, Megan Woods, has announced this morning that Mission Control for the project will be permanently based at Auckland University’s Te Pūnaha Ātea-Auckland Space Institute, with the help of Rocket Lab.

Dr Sara Mikaloff-Fletcher is an atmospheric scientist with NIWA who is leading a team of key New Zealand scientists who’ll work alongside Harvard University on analysing the data.