NASA will conduct low-altitude research flights over farmland near Transit, Texas, from Thursday, Oct. 22, through Monday, Nov. 9. The agency will use a Dynamic Aviation A200 aircraft to measure gaseous and particulate emissions from animal feeding operations.

Agricultural emissions play a significant role in atmospheric chemistry and climate systems, yet they remain among the least understood sources of air pollutants. The FarmFlux mission will deploy more than a dozen sensors to quantify ozone, methane, ammonia, particulates, and other emissions rising from crop lands and livestock farms, as well as their interactions with the atmosphere. Scientists from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; Colorado State University; and Boston University are jointly leading the project.

Additional low-altitude research flights using a NASA P-3 Orion aircraft are planned for the March to July 2027 growing season across the Midwest and California’s Central Valley, with an emphasis on cropland studies.

For more information about the FarmFlux mission, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/evs-4/farm-flux/