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UK Space Agency to invest £9m in Earth monitoring projects

UK Space
Image credit: NicoElNino / Shutterstock

The UK Space Agency has announced a £9m investment supporting a series of projects focussed on monitoring the Earth’s atmosphere.

The funding, which is the largest investment from the agency in an early-stage tech programme, will back 12 projects featuring private businesses and research institutions.

The projects include a prototype unfolding space telescope for small satellites by Super-Sharp Space Systems and In-Space Missions Ltd, a hyper-spectral camera to monitor emissions by Surrey Satellite Technology and Pixalytics and a radiation monitor from Umbrella Space Science, BGHTech and Leese SPM.

“This exciting new generation of satellite instruments, backed by £9 million 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,” said Science Minister Andrew Griffith.

Beth Greenaway, head of Earth observation and climate at the UK Space Agency added: “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.

“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.”

Last month, the UK Space Agency launched an £8m investment fund for early-stage space tech companies.

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