NASA to Fly Low‑Altitude Aircraft Over Texas Farmland to Measure Agricultural Emissions

NASA's Dynamic Aviation A200 will conduct low‑flying research flights over farmland near Transit, Texas, from Oct. 22 to Nov. 9, 2026. The mission, part of the FarmFlux program, will deploy more than a dozen sensors to measure ozone, methane, ammonia, particulates, and other pollutants emitted by animal feeding operations and crop lands. The study is jointly led by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Colorado State University, and Boston University. Additional low‑altitude flights with a NASA P‑3 Orion are planned for the 2027 growing season in the Midwest and California’s Central Valley, focusing on cropland. The data will improve understanding of agricultural contributions to atmospheric chemistry and help refine climate models.