Eleven UK-based organisations are to share £7m to fund space-based technology and innovation.
Most of the projects awarded a share of the funding from the UK Space Agency are aimed at dealing with the climate crisis and environmental issues.
The biggest share, of just under £1m, will go to Global Satellite Vu Ltd.
The Surrey-based company is designing and building a high-quality infrared camera that will be fitted to a small satellite.
Described as a world first of its kind, this satellite – or at least a small constellation of the devices – will be able to use thermal video and still images to measure thermal images from any structure.
These measurements can then be used to improve energy efficiency.
Arqit Ltd was also awarded a little under £1m for one of the few projects not focused on the environment.
The London-based company is working on a unique quantum encryption Platform-as-a-Service called QuantumCloud.
Arqit said that this can help protect the digital economy against future quantum-based forms of attack that could otherwise threaten UK encryption services.
Satellite systems aim to improve weather and climate predictions
Elsewhere, Thales Alenia Space will use its Very Low Earth Orbit ‘SkimSat’ satellite as part of a joint effort to measure the density of the planet’s thermosphere, providing more data to improve climate predictions.
STFC RAL Space from Oxfordshire is also working on improving weather and climate predictions.
The company is working on a new satellite observation system that uses microwave sensors, and said that its observations will improve the ability to react to climate change.
A team of researchers at the University of Edinburgh is working on a new approach to using Lidar from space.
Lidar, which stands for ‘light detection and ranging’, uses lasers to build 3D maps by measuring the difference in return times when they bounce back from the Earth.
The project is known as the Global Lidar Altimetry MISsion (GLAMIS) and brings together experts from Scotland’s photonics and space sectors.
The funding comes from the space agency’s National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) and boosts a similar sum awarded in 2020 to help support projects through the development stage.
Against a backdrop of the Cop26 climate talks, the Government said that space-based technology was playing a vital role in the battle against climate change.
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