The UK is to develop a brand new satellite which will help scientists monitor climate change and natural disasters.
The spacecraft will be funded by the UK Space Agency which will be putting £3 million towards the project, alongside the satellite company Open Cosmos which is based in Oxfordshire.
The announcement means the UK will join Spain and Portugal on an €80 million (£70 million) project called Atlantic Constellation.
The project is developing a whole group of satellites to monitor the Earth and keep across the effects of climate change.
It’s been said the new UK-built satellite will provide “valuable and regularly updated data” on the planet, and will also help to detect, monitor and reduce the risk of natural disasters.
“Earth observation will play an absolutely vital role in tackling global challenges like climate change and disaster relief, providing the data we need at speed, while supporting key UK industries like agriculture and energy,” said Andrew Griffith who is the minister in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
Space climate science
Earlier this year another UK satellite provided its first pictures of heat variations across the surface of the Earth.
HotSat-1, built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) in Guildford, was launched in June 2023 on a SpaceX rocket flying out of California.
Its heat-measuring sensor means it can trace hot and cold features as small as 3.5m across.
BBC Science Correspondent Jonathan Amos said HotSat-1’s heat maps should have lots o different uses, but especially in climate-related matters.
For example, they’ll allow experts to see roof tops and walls which can help them to understand the temperatures of individual buildings, offices and factories.
It’s information that can identify infrastructure that’s wasting energy and is in need of better insulation.
Credit: BBC News