EXCLUSIVE | CLIMATE
Why a NASA satellite that scientists and farmers rely on may be destroyed on purpose

AUGUST 4, 20255:30 AM ET
Rebecca Hersher


A robotic arm attached to the International Space Station brings in the spacecraft carrying one of two Orbiting Carbon Observatory instruments, known as OCO-3, in 2019. NASA has put out a call for private groups to potentially take over the cost of maintaining the instrument, which measures carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere.
NASA TV/NASA

The Trump administration has asked NASA employees to draw up plans to end at least two major satellite missions, according to current and former NASA staffers. If the plans are carried out, one of the missions would be permanently terminated, because the satellite would burn up in the atmosphere.

The data the two missions collect is widely used, including by scientists, oil and gas companies and farmers who need detailed information about carbon dioxide and crop health. They are the only two federal satellite missions that were designed and built specifically to monitor planet-warming greenhouse gases.

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It is unclear why the Trump administration seeks to end the missions. The equipment in space is state of the art and is expected to function for many more years, according to scientists who worked on the missions. An official review by NASA in 2023 found that "the data are of exceptionally high quality" and recommended continuing the mission for at least three years.

Both missions, known as the Orbiting Carbon Observatories, measure carbon dioxide and plant growth around the globe. They use identical measurement devices, but one device is attached to a stand-alone satellite while the other is attached to the International Space Station. The standalone satellite would burn up in the atmosphere if NASA pursued plans to terminate the mission.

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