Albedo executives see emissions monitoring as an important application for Albedo's thermal imagery. With thermal imagery you can see, for example, that two of the gas plant's four towers are active. Experts can calculate carbon emissions by combining that information combined with data on surface properties and fuel type.

Albedo, the latest space company to join the Y Combinator startup accelerator, plans to establish a satellite constellation offering Earth imagery with a resolution of 10 centimeters per pixel.

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Debra Werner is a correspondent for SpaceNews based in San Francisco. Debra earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in Journalism from Northwestern University. She is a recipient...