NASA announced on Tuesday that it intends to cancel the development of its GeoCarb mission, which was proposed to be a low-cost satellite aimed at monitoring greenhouse gas emissions.
“GeoCarb sought to probe the natural sources and exchange processes that control carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and methane in the atmosphere over the Americas,” NASA said in a Nov. 29 news release.
The latest life cycle cost estimate for GeoCarb was put at over $600 million, which is more than three times the original estimate of $170.9 million when the project was selected.
The delay and rising costs would have a “detrimental impact” on the space agency’s earth science portfolio, including a two-year delay of the Earth System Observatory. In addition, newer options to measure greenhouse has emissions are emerging that were not present when GeoCarb was under consideration, the agency stated….