The UK Space Agency has announced its largest investment into an early-stage technology program to enhance the UK’s Earth observation technologies, to improve how space is used to understand and protect the planet.
Delivered by the Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation (CEOI), the £9m (US$11.4m) will support 12 projects to enhance the ability to monitor Earth’s atmosphere and measure emissions such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrogen dioxide. This doubles the program’s previous largest funding round.
According to the organization, the instruments under development could give a clearer picture of where activities and incidents producing high levels of emissions – such as wildfires or inefficient farming techniques – are taking place, enabling decision makers to coordinate more effective responses.
The Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation (CEOI) projects
CITISCAN Payload Development
The £1.15m (US$1.46m) CITISCAN Payload Development by Thales-Alenia Space UK – with support from the University of Leicester – aims to further develop two new instruments to measure aerosols like nitrogen dioxide at a high resolution, in near real time in urban areas. The project will further define specific mission requirements through community collaboration, and progress toward technological readiness through redesign and maturing the electronics.
Cold Atom Interferometry Thermosphere Drag Measurement
With the £1m (US$1.3m) investment and the support of the University of Nottingham and Metamorphic Additive Manufacturing, the Cold Atom Interferometry Thermosphere Drag Measurement (CAITDM) STFC-RAL is intended to resolve knowledge gaps in our understanding of the upper atmosphere using a cold-atom accelerometer to precisely measure its spatial and temporal fluctuations. The project will build a fully functional breadboard to demonstrate the concept, while developing the electronics control and laser technology on board.
Solar Occultation Limb Sounding Transformative Instruments for Climate Exploration
STFC-RAL’s, Bright Ascension’s and Open Cosmos’s £2.3m (US$2.9m) Solar Occultation Limb Sounding Transformative Instruments for Climate Exploration (SOLSTICE) project aims to improve monitoring of changes in the atmosphere using two instruments working together: HIROS is a thermal infrared spectrometer providing information on atmospheric transmission of gases, and HSDI is an imager for water vapour, aerosols and air pressure. This project will produce and test a representative payload model, validate its scientific accuracy and value, and further develop data interfaces and ground platforms.
Super-Sharp Space Systems
With its £900,000 (US$1.14m) investment, the Super-Sharp Space Systems project will prototype an unfolding space telescope for a small satellite platform. This project aims to develop an unfolding, self-aligning thermal infra-red space telescope to produce maps that can identify activities with high carbon emissions, as well as identify wildfires or improve crop irrigation. Through CEOI the team aims to develop a prototype of the platform for a small-sat.
Near Infrared Multispectral Camera for Atmospheric Methane
The Near Infrared Multispectral Camera for Atmospheric Methane (NIMCAM) project will focus on instrument demonstration and space mission development [£1.7m (US$2.16m)]. The University of Edinburgh, with support from STFC-UKATC (UK Astronomy Technology Centre) and NPL (National Physical Laboratory), will conduct this project. Building on prior support, NIMCAM aims to capitalize on the growing demand for methane measurements by building a high spatial resolution near-infrared camera to improve global coverage and discover smaller leaks than ever before. The grant focuses on an airborne demonstration as well as the satellite mission and instrument design and space-relevant environment testing.
Hyperspectral Chroma-D Instrument (HERCHI) Payload Development
Surrey Satellite Technology’s and Pixalytics’ HERCHI Payload Development [£900,000 (US$1.14m)] project will include hyper-spectral cameras that can target molecules such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane in the atmosphere to measure carbon emissions and air quality. This new generation of technology is expected to create a new generation of detectors. The project will produce a breadboard model of a camera and perform some basic characterization as part of its technological readiness-raising activities.
Expanding GNSS-R for HydroGNSS Constellation
With support from the University of Nottingham and the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), Southampton, Surrey Satellite Technology has received £250,000 (US$317,000) for its HydroGNSS Constellation project. While HydroGNSS aims for launch in 2024, SSTL aims to investigate other novel uses of the system. As part of the project, they will examine methods of gaining global navigation satellite system (GNSS) altimetry, combining with other GNSS providers and the effects of radio frequency interference.
Umbrella Radiation Monitor
Umbrella Space Science, with support from BGHTECH and Leese SPM, will dive into Phase 2 of the development of the Umbrella Radiation Monitor with a £250,000 (US$317,000) investment. This instrument aims to map Earth’s radiation environment in-situ and in real time, which is essential for image-based satellites and their background calibrations. This work will develop and test an early demonstration model and mature the design to fit in a 0.5 Cubesat.
3.5 THz Receiver Breadboard for Upper Atmosphere Science
This work by STFC RAL Space and the University of Leeds focuses on further developing a 3.5 THz receiver for the Keystone mission dedicated to studying the poorly understood mesosphere and lower thermosphere of the atmosphere. Through a testing and development program and integration of a commercial Schottky diode, the project will raise technological readiness level and validate the radio frequency, electronic and thermal performance of the instrument.
Evaluation of Novel Design for reduced dark current in VLWIR MCT arrays
Leonardo UK’s £67,000 (US$85,000) project hopes to improve the use of very long-wave infrared (VLWIR) by reducing the dark current noise inherent in these instruments, leading to more accurate and powerful detectors. The project will develop a novel VLWIR array and gather data on its performance.
EO-APU: Prototype Development for an AI-Driven EO Processing Unit
With support from Blue Sky Imaging and this £75,000 (US$95,000) investment, Surrey AI Imaging will address the massive increase in the available data from satellites, and how this necessitates new methods of processing and organizing that data for it to be usable and valuable. This project begins the development of an AI processing unit that will eventually make its way on board satellites to pre-analyze data and enhance or sort it before taking up limited bandwidth on return to Earth.
High-accuracy Magnetometer for Space Weather Instrumentation (HMSWI)
This £65,000 project (US$82,500) , which includes STFC RAL Space, the British Geological Survey (BGS), the University of Strathclyde and Iota Technology, aims to bring together the functions of two types of magnetometer into one instrument, enabling cost savings, improved data accuracy and an array of new applications for things like space weather and Earth observation. The initial work will analyze the orbit and noise requirements as well as defining the magnetometer architecture; investigate the engineering implications; and produce a feasibility assessment.
New generation of satellite instruments
Beth Greenaway, head of earth observation and climate at the UK Space Agency, said, “Satellites play a vital role in monitoring emissions, weather patterns and other environmental factors, using a variety of sensors and instruments that return information to Earth. Indeed, some of the information can only be collected from space. These new projects highlight the strength and diversity of UK expertise in both universities and companies across the UK – they are at the cutting edge of inventing the newest tools and techniques. The 16th CEOI call shows that we are ready to match the commitment of the UK space sector to ensure the Earth observation capabilities stay at the forefront of global demand.”
Nicolas Leveque, director of the CEOI, commented, “This additional funding from the UK Space Agency demonstrates its continued support for the development of high-end remote-sensing technologies. These technologies will fill many gaps in our observing capabilities and help better understand some of the more complex processes driving the Earth climate and environment. This funding round will act as an accelerator, bringing the launch of new instruments forward by several years. We also welcome the responsiveness of the research, academic and industrial community, who have put together ambitious work plans to match the level of investment.”
Andrew Griffith MP, Minister for Space at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, said, “This exciting new generation of satellite instruments, backed by £9m (US$11.43m) in government funding, will play a key part in our efforts to tackle climate change, pinpointing where emissions are highest on our planet and cementing UK leadership in Earth observation, while helping to attract more private investment into this fast-growing sector.”
In related news, the UK Space Agency recently invested £1.8m (US$2.2m) in technologies to help satellites measure Earth’s changing shorelines, estimate levels of biomass, predict weather forecasting and manufacture medicines in space. Click here to read the full story.
