UK Commits £3 Million to Join Atlantic Constellation with New Earth Observation Satellite

Dear Lion Helard Reader

The United Kingdom (UK) has announced its intention to join the Atlantic Constellation alongside Portugal and Spain. This commitment involves the development and launch of a pioneering pathfinder satellite, constructed by a UK-based company, to enhance the innovative Earth and coastal monitoring network within the constellation.

Unveiled on the inaugural day of the UK Space Conference in Belfast on November 21, 2023, this initiative aims to augment the UK's national proficiency in Earth observation technology. The project aligns with the UK's contributions to the EU Copernicus program, European Space Agency, and various bilateral missions.

To materialize this endeavor, the UK Space Agency is investing £3 million to support the construction of the pathfinder satellite. The satellite, designed to be among the first in the Atlantic Constellation, will share the same design and orbital plane with three satellites from Portugal, constituting the constellation's initial batch. This alignment significantly amplifies the revisit time frequency during the constellation's early stages, providing vital and regularly updated data crucial for detecting, monitoring, and mitigating natural disasters.

Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, Andrew Griffith, emphasized the pivotal role of Earth observation in addressing global challenges like climate change and disaster relief. The collaboration with Open Cosmos on this satellite project aims not only to achieve shared goals with Atlantic partners Spain and Portugal but also to create new skills opportunities and jobs to foster the growth of the UK economy.

Open Cosmos, the UK-based company tasked with building the satellite, has recently expanded its OpenConstellation with two additional satellite missions. The successful launch on November 11 and a recent $50 million Series B funding round underscore the company's commitment to international growth and product expansion.

Rafael Jorda Siquier, Chief Executive of Open Cosmos, expressed pride in contributing to the national Earth observation strategy through the delivery of the first UK pathfinder satellite within the Atlantic Constellation.

The announcement coincides with the opening of the UK Space Conference in Belfast under the theme "Space for Our Future." Alongside the satellite project, the UK Space Agency revealed a package of 23 projects worth £4 million from its Enabling Technologies Programme. Additionally, the agency is establishing a Rocketry Research, Training, and Teaching (R2T2) Hub, aimed at supporting rocket science Ph.D. programs to meet the demands of the growing UK satellite launch market.

Dr. Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, highlighted the critical role of space in shaping our lives and emphasized the agency's focus on catalyzing investment, delivering new missions, and championing opportunities in the expanding space sector.

The pathfinder satellite's integration into the Atlantic Constellation is expected to increase revisit time frequency in the first orbital plane by 33%, contributing significantly to disaster relief management. Data access and provision policies for Atlantic Constellation members will be jointly established with Portugal and Spain, enabling UK users to task the satellite and benefit from higher-frequency data and shorter revisit times during the first year of operations.

The applications of data from the Constellation encompass disaster relief actions, early detection of climate change indicators, enhanced agricultural productivity, and improved energy utilization.

In addition to the Atlantic Constellation initiative, the UK Space Agency's Enabling Technologies Programme allocates £4 million to 23 projects across academia and industry. These projects aim to accelerate the development of cutting-edge space technologies with global applications, covering areas such as weather prediction, climate-change monitoring, and space debris removal.

Furthermore, the £4.9 million investment in the R2T2 PhD Hub will secure 30 skilled Ph.D. graduates across three cohorts, with partial funding from industry for the latter two cohorts. This initiative is part of a comprehensive skills intervention strategy to equip young professionals with the expertise needed for the UK's burgeoning spaceflight industry.

Matt Archer, Director of Launch at the UK Space Agency, stressed the importance of a skilled workforce to achieve the goal of becoming Europe's leading small satellite launch provider by 2030. The Rocketry Research, Training, and Teaching Hub will play a crucial role in cultivating the next generation of professionals to support the growth and expansion of the UK's small satellite launch market.

Fabrice Iranzi, Editor in Chief / Lion Herald

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