NASA FarmFlux Mission to Measure US Agricultural Emissions

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will launch a $15 million airborne research campaign in October 2026 to measure agricultural emissions across the United States using a Dynamic Aviation A200 and a NASA P-3 Orion.

The Earth Venture Suborbital (EVS-4) investigation, dubbed the FarmFlux mission, aims to close data gaps regarding the interaction between agricultural pollutants and the Earth’s atmosphere. According to a NASA press release, the mission is jointly led by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Colorado State University, and Boston University. The agency noted that agricultural emissions represent an “important and understudied part of Earth’s land and atmosphere systems.”

Flight schedule and deployment locations

The initial series of low-altitude research flights will begin in October 2026 over farmland near Greeley, Colorado. Operations will then shift to Amarillo, Texas, in late October and early November 2026.

A second phase of the campaign is scheduled from March through July 2027. During this period, flights will target major crop systems in the United States Midwest and California’s Central Valley to capture data during the active growing season.

Dual-aircraft approach and sensor payloads

The FarmFlux mission utilizes a two-aircraft strategy to address different agricultural environments. A Dynamic Aviation A200 will focus on quantifying emissions from animal feeding operations, including beef cattle, dairies, hogs, and chickens, using mass balance techniques.

For broader agricultural surveys, the agency will deploy a heavy-lift NASA P-3 Orion to monitor major crop systems. NASA stated the aircraft will carry more than a dozen sensors designed to measure ozone, methane, ammonia, and particulates rising from the surface.

The airborne data collection will also serve to validate satellite retrievals from current and upcoming orbital missions. Ground-truth data gathered by the A200 and P-3 Orion will be compared against inferred emissions from the Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument and the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS).

AirPro News analysis

We view the FarmFlux mission as a critical step in bridging the gap between localized ground sensors and macro-level satellite data. By utilizing specialized aircraft like the A200 and P-3 Orion for low-altitude atmospheric sampling, researchers can build a more accurate profile of how agricultural operations impact air quality and climate. The $15 million investment highlights a growing regulatory and scientific focus on non-industrial emission sources, which could eventually influence environmental policies affecting the aviation and agricultural sectors alike.

Sources: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)