The satellite was part of groundbreaking efforts to track methane pollution and make information public. Capping methane leaks is one of the quickest ways to tackle global warning, say scientists, and MethaneSAT was a publicly-available global map of emissions.

The spacecraft, MethaneSAT, was just a year into its mission to provide a clearer picture of planet-warming emissions from oil and gas sites.

An $88 million satellite backed by billionaire Jeff Bezos is lost in space. MethaneSAT, designed to sniff out sources of methane emissions across the globe, only survived about 15 months in Earth’s orbit before meeting its untimely end.