AI Insight
NASA will conduct low-altitude research flights over farmland near Amarillo, Texas, from October 22 through November 9, 2026, to measure gaseous and particulate emissions from animal feeding operations. The FarmFlux mission will deploy over a dozen sensors to measure ozone, methane, ammonia, particulates, and other pollutants from agricultural sources and their atmospheric interactions. Additional flights are planned for March-July 2027 in the Midwest and California's Central Valley to focus on cropland emissions.
Why it matters
Agricultural emissions represent an important and understudied component of Earth's land-atmosphere systems. This research will provide crucial data on how livestock farms and croplands contribute to atmospheric pollution, which can inform environmental policy and agricultural practices.
Understand the Science
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on Oct. 15, 2026, and has been updated to correct the location of the flights.
A NASA Dynamic Aviation A200 aircraft will conduct low-flying research flights over farmland near Amarillo, Texas, from Thursday, Oct. 22, through Monday, Nov. 9. These flights will measure gaseous and particulate emissions from animal feeding operations.
Agricultural emissions represent an important and understudied part of Earth’s land and atmosphere systems. The FarmFlux mission will deploy more than a dozen sensors to measure ozone, methane, ammonia, particulates, and other pollutants rising from crop lands and livestock farms and their interaction with the Earth’s atmosphere. The mission is jointly led by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; Colorado State University; and Boston University.
Additional low-altitude research flights with a NASA P-3 Orion aircraft are scheduled for the March to July 2027 growing season in the Midwest and California’s Central Valley with a focus on cropland.
For more information about the FarmFlux mission, visit:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/evs-4/farm-flux/
By Sharon Teitelbaum
NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley
Source: NASA to Conduct Low-Altitude Flights Over Texas Farmland