First results from MethaneAIR: An airborne simulation platform for the MethaneSAT mission

MethaneSAT is an upcoming greenhouse gas imaging satellite designed primarily to characterize methane emissions from oil and gas production. In preparation for MethaneSAT, we have developed MethaneAIR, an aircraft-based precursor instrument with near-identical instrument specifications to MethaneSAT, consisting of two grating spectrometers targeting the oxygen singlet delta and 1.59/1.65 micron carbon dioxide/methane absorption bands. MethaneAIR serves as both a valuable testbed for developing calibration and retrieval algorithms prior to MethaneSATs launch, and a useful payload for future scientific field studies. We will describe early efforts in laboratory calibration of MethaneAIR, and present results from its deployment in two engineering flights over northern Colorado in November 2019.