A n $88m satellite designed to detect releases of the planet-warming gas methane from oil and gas production, has been lost in space in a major setback for climate efforts. The MethaneSat satellite which had backing from Google and billionaire Jeff Bezos, was launched only last year aboard an Elon Musk SpaceX rocket.

Operators lost contact with the MethaneSAT satellite on 20 June, a significant blow to efforts to track – and stop – methane emissions

MethaneSat, a $88m climate satellite backed by Google and Jeff Bezos to track methane emissions, has lost contact in orbit—dealing a serious blow to global climate monitoring efforts.