ESA Data
Partnership

Access GHGSat's high-resolution methane data for your research

GHGSat and ESA Earthnet TPM Program

GHGSat’s high-resolution greenhouse gas emissions data are available to the research community free of charge through the European Space Agency’s Earthnet Third Party Missions (TPM) program. Whether you are studying methane emissions from oil and gas infrastructure, landfills, coal mines, agriculture, or natural sources, GHGSat’s satellite data provides the facility-level precision that wide-area public missions cannot achieve alone.

To access the data, researchers submit a short project proposal to ESA for review. Once approved, data is delivered directly to you by GHGSat at no cost.

Apply for GHGSat data through ESA TPM

GHGSat data at a glance

16

Satellites launched to date
and more coming soon

3.5  M+

Observations in archive

100  kg/hr

Detection threshold

Research data access

ESA Earthnet Third Party Missions (TPM)

GHGSat joined ESA’s Earthnet Third Party Missions programme in May 2022, following a rigorous evaluation of its data quality and scientific value by ESA’s EDAP team. The TPM programme has operated for over 45 years and currently provides access to data from more than 60 instruments across 50+ Earth observation missions. GHGSat’s participation in TPM established the first formal mechanism for sharing its high-resolution methane data with the scientific community and laid the technical and institutional groundwork that would ultimately lead to its integration into the Copernicus Contributing Missions framework.

Through TPM, GHGSat’s archive of over 3.5 million observations—dating back to 2020—is made available free of charge to approved researchers in ESA member states, cooperating states, and Canada. Researchers can request either historical catalogue data or new satellite tasking tailored to their project, covering point sources such as individual oil and gas wells and storage tanks or complex sources such as landfills, open-pit mines, and offshore facilities.

Operational integration

Copernicus Contributing Mission (CCM)

In January 2025, GHGSat became the first commercial methane monitoring operator to be designated a Copernicus Contributing Mission by ESA and the European Commission—marking GHGSat’s transition from research data provider to operational partner within Europe’s flagship environmental monitoring programme. As a Category-3 CCM, GHGSat delivers a fully operational, end-to-end service compatible with strict Copernicus data standards through ESA’s Rapid Response Desk (RRD).

The primary user of GHGSat data within this framework is ECMWF, as part of the greenhouse gas monitoring component of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). GHGSat’s facility-level methane observations complement TROPOMI’s wide-swath measurements, providing the spatial detail needed to attribute emission signals to specific industrial sources, strengthening confidence in atmospheric analyses at global, regional, and national scales. In some operational scenarios, processed and validated data is delivered to users within six hours of observation.

Beyond CAMS, data delivered through the CCM is available to other Copernicus Services, broadening GHGSat’s role across the Copernicus ecosystem.

Available data

Who Can Access GHGSat Data

Through ESA’s TPM programme, researchers can access two types of GHGSat data—both delivered directly by GHGSat at no cost following ESA approval.

  1. Catalogue data — historical archive
    Access GHGSat’s archive of over 3.5 million observations dating back to 2016. Ideal for longitudinal studies, seasonal analysis, trend monitoring, and historical baseline research across industrial sectors worldwide.
  2. New tasking — new data collection
    Request new observations tailored to your specific research sites, geographic areas, and timeframes. GHGSat tasks satellites directly to your sites, delivering data suited to your project’s needs and objectives.

Eligibility

Who can apply for GHGSat data through ESA TPM?

Access is available to a broad range of research institutions and organisations. ESA evaluates proposals on scientific merit and allocates data within the available quota. See full terms of applicability.

  • Research institutions based in ESA member states, the EU + Norway, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland — universities, national research centres, and scientific organizations requiring additional data to complement existing Copernicus datasets in fields of Earth sciences, atmospheric science, and climate research.
  • Organizations in ESA member states — commercial entities and NGOs in ESA member or cooperating states conducting non-commercial research projects under ESA funding or ESA-related programs.
  • Canadian institutions — Canada is an ESA cooperating state; Canadian research institutions are eligible to apply through the joint ESA–Canadian Space Agency (CSA) agreement.

How to apply

Four steps to access GHGSat data through ESA TPM

1

Register with ESA EO Sign In

Create an account on ESA’s Earth Observation Identity and Access Management platform (EO Sign In) at eoiam-idp.eo.esa.int. This is required for all ESA proposal submissions.

2

Create your project proposal

Complete the proposal form with: your name as Principal Investigator, project title, a clear research overview, your team’s expertise and background, and the specific data you need (catalogue or new tasking, geographic area, timeframe).

3

Specify your order details

Select your order type (catalogue for historical data, or new tasking for fresh observations), define your spatial coverage, specify the monitoring frequency, and indicate whether your source is a point source (e.g. individual well, storage tank) or a complex source (e.g. landfill, open-pit coal mine, offshore facility).

4

Submit and await ESA evaluation

ESA reviews proposals for scientific quality and fit. Evaluation typically takes up to 6 weeks. Once approved, GHGSat delivers the data directly to you at no cost.

Access GHGSat data

How researchers are using GHGSat data

Case study—ESA TPM
The UK’s first space-based methane leak detection and mitigation
Researchers at the University of Leeds, working on a project to assess the ability of sensors on telecommunication towers to measure atmospheric greenhouse gases, were accessing GHGSat data through ESA’s Third Party Missions program when they identified an unusually large methane source near a landfill site in Wales. The emission—exceeding 200 kg/hr—was confirmed on the ground by a mobile measurement vehicle from Royal Holloway, University of London, and traced to a damaged pipeline belonging to Wales & West Utilities. The operator moved promptly to fix the fault. The incident marked the UK’s first-ever space-based methane leak detection and mitigation and was subsequently validated in a peer-reviewed publication.
Empowering UK organizations with high-resolution satellite methane data
Satellite Applications Catapult Program

UK government agencies, industrial operators, and financial institutions have historically relied on models and estimates to assess methane emissions without access to direct facility-level measurements. To address this gap, the Methane Monitoring Data Supply for the UK program, funded by the UK Space Agency and delivered through the Satellite Applications Catapult in partnership with GHGSat, provided organizations across the UK with access to GHGSat’s high-resolution satellite methane data, combined with direct technical support and training over a two-year period.

Organizations were able to task satellites to observe specific industrial sites and access GHGSat’s historical data archive from 2016. The program built the capacity of 120 organizations to embed satellite emissions data into their operational workflows from regulatory planning to national inventory development. Results were cited in the House of Lords and Climate Change Committee reports and featured in the Environment Agency’s 2023–2024 Chief Regulator’s Report.

Richard Engelen
Deputy Director, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), ECMWF
“The inclusion of GHGSat's data in our monitoring systems is a major step forward for CAMS. Precise, facility-level data on methane emissions will complement our existing capabilities, allowing us to better understand and mitigate the impact of greenhouse gases on the atmosphere.”

Watch Our On-Demand Webinar

Watch our on-demand webinar for a step-by-step walkthrough of the TPM application process, featuring examples of successful research projects using GHGSat methane data.

Watch Webinar Now

FAQ

Frequently asked about GHGSat data access via ESA

Is GHGSat data really free through ESA TPM?

Yes. Through ESA’s Earthnet Third Party Missions programme, GHGSat data is provided free of charge to approved researchers and institutions. Data is delivered directly by GHGSat following ESA’s proposal review at no cost to the researcher.


How long does ESA's review take?

ESA’s proposal evaluation typically takes up to 6 weeks. ESA aims to support as many high-quality proposals as possible within the quota available; only a limited amount of data can be allocated to each project.


Can I access historical data going back to 2020?

Yes. GHGSat’s data archive contains over 3.5 million observations collected since 2020. Researchers can request catalogue access to this historical dataset as part of their ESA proposal, enabling longitudinal analysis and baseline establishment.


What is the difference between ESA TPM and the Copernicus Contributing Mission?

The ESA Earthnet TPM programme provides GHGSat data free of charge to researchers upon proposal approval—it is focused on supporting academic and scientific research. The Copernicus Contributing Mission (CCM), designated in January 2025, is an operational programme through which GHGSat’s data is integrated into the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) to enhance Europe’s operational greenhouse gas monitoring capabilities. Researchers access data through TPM; the CCM designation reflects GHGSat’s operational role within the broader Copernicus ecosystem.


Can researchers outside ESA member states apply?

Access through the ESA TPM programme is primarily available to institutions in ESA member states, cooperating states, and Canada. Researchers outside these regions may contact GHGSat directly to discuss data access options through alternative pathways, including NASA’s CSDA programme for US-funded researchers.


What sectors and emission sources can GHGSat data support?

GHGSat data supports research across oil and gas infrastructure, coal mining, waste management and landfills, agricultural sources, wastewater treatment, natural geological sources, and offshore facilities. The 25 m spatial resolution enables attribution to individual point sources, making it particularly valuable for studies requiring source-level attribution rather than regional-scale estimates.


Ready to apply?

Access GHGSat methane data for your research through ESA TPM

Contact GHGSat’s team if you’d like help identifying the right datasets before you apply.