As stakeholders, scientists, data users, and the general public continue to urge NASA and others to keep GEDI on the ISS, NBC Washington reports on a creative way to prevent the mission’s end.  “U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., announced a tentative deal with NASA Monday to save a locally developed space project that was set to be destroyed in January.

Supporters say the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI), a forest-mapping laser developed by the University of Maryland and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, is a critical tool in the fight against global warming. GEDI is the first of its kind to use lasers to make 3D maps of Earth’s forests in order to measure how much carbon those forests store and would release if burned.

The $94 million project launched to the International Space Station in 2018 and was set to be decommissioned in January, but its backers have been lobbying for more time to complete its mission before it’s replaced by a Department of Defense project.

In an interview with News4 Monday, Van Hollen said NASA has proposed storing GEDI on the ISS for up to 18 months while the Defense project known as STP-H9 proceeds. GEDI would later be reinstalled in order to finish mapping the globe.”

Read more about the plan to save GEDI here.