Electronics Weekly Electronics Design & Components Tech News
Delivered by the Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation (CEOI), the money will support 12 projects that will measure emissions such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen dioxide.
The idea is for the instruments under development to give a clearer picture of activities and incidents producing high levels of emissions – such as wildfires or inefficient farming techniques – enabling decision-makers to coordinate more effective responses.
The announcement doubles the programme’s previous largest funding round and the agency describes it as “its largest investment into an early-stage technology programme to enhance the UK’s Earth observation technologies”.
Note that the £9 million will also be bolstered with more than £2 million additional funding from academic and private sectors.
For example, the CITISCAN project – involving Thales-Alenia Space UK and the University of Leicester, and getting the largest funding of £1,150,000 – will develop two new satellite instruments to measure aerosols like nitrogen dioxide in urban areas. This will be done at a high resolution in near real-time.
Satellite instruments
“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,” said Beth Greenaway, Head of Earth Observation and Climate at the UK Space Agency. “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 ensuring the Earth observation capabilities stay at the forefront of the global demand.”
CEOI projects
The CEOI projects are described individually, in the UK Space Agency’s own words, below:
CITISCAN Payload Development (£1,150,000) – Thales-Alenia Space UK with support from University of Leicester
CITISCAN 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 towards technological readiness through redesign and maturing the electronics.
Cold Atom Interferometry Thermosphere Drag Measurement (CAITDM) (£1,000,000) – STFC-RAL with support from University of Nottingham and Metamorphic Additive Manufacturing Ltd
CAITDM will 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.
SOLSTICE: Solar Occultation Limb Sounding Transformative Instruments for Climate Exploration (£2,300,000) – STFC-RAL with support from Bright Ascension and Open Cosmos
SOLSTICE 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.
Prototyping an unfolding space telescope for a small satellite platform (£900,000) – Super-Sharp Space Systems with support from In-Space Missions Ltd
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.
The Near Infrared Multispectral Camera for Atmospheric Methane (NIMCAM): Instrument demonstration and space mission development (£1,700,000) – University of Edinburgh with support from STFC-UKATC (UK Astronomy Technology Centre), NPL (National Physical Laboratory)
Building on prior support, NIMCAM aims to capitalise 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 (£900,000) – Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, with support from Pixalytics Ltd
Hyper-spectral cameras can target molecules such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and methane in the atmosphere to measure carbon emissions and air quality and this new generation of technology will create a new generation of detectors. The project will produce a breadboard model of a camera and perform some basic characterisation as part of its technological readiness-raising activities.
Expanding GNSS-R for HydroGNSS Constellation (£250,000) – Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd with support from University of Nottingham and National Oceanography Centre, Southampton
While HydroGNSS aims to be launched in 2024, SSTL aim 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: Phase 2 Demonstration Model Development (£250,000) – Umbrella Space Science Ltd with support from BGHTECH Ltd and Leese SPM Ltd
This novel 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 (£250,000) – STFC RAL Space with support from University of Leeds
This work focusses 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 programme 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 (£67,000) – Leonardo UK
This project hopes to improve the use of very longwave 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 (£75,000) – Surrey AI Imaging Ltd with support from Blue Sky Imaging Ltd
The massive increase in the available data from satellites necessitates new methods of processing and organising 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-analyse data, enhance, or sort them before taking up limited bandwidth on return to Earth.
High-accuracy Magnetometer for Space Weather Instrumentation (HMSWI) (£65,000) – STFC RAL Space with support from British Geological Survey (BGS), University of Strathclyde and Iota Technology Ltd
This project aims to bring together the functions of two types of magnetometer into one instrument, allowing for cost savings, improved data accuracy and an array of new applications for things like space weather and Earth observation. The initial work will analyse the orbit and noise requirements as well as defining the magnetometer architecture, investigate the engineering implications and produce a feasibility assessment.
See also: Space for All fund funds STEM projects across the UK
