As raging wildfires and rising mercury across Europe this week has highlighted some of the effects of global warming, UK satellite firm Satellite Vu has signed a contract that it says will make it "the world’s global thermometer from space".
Its aim is to create a 'constellation' of satellites designed to measure the thermal emissions of structures on Earth, with the company expecting to receive its first satellite from Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd in the first quarter of 2023, with a launch slot secured aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
The London-based outfit, in which Seraphim Space Investment Trust PLC (LSE:SSIT) is a major shareholder, said today that it has commissioned a second satellite from SSTL to help it double its data collection capacity.
It said this was “in response to market demand for greater capacity and more frequent revisit times", as well as “investor confidence in the team to accelerate the execution of the company business plan".
Launch of the second satellite, which is an exact clone of the first, is expected in early 2024.
Founder and CEO Anthony Baker said: “Environmental issues are at the forefront of everyone’s minds, from governments to businesses to consumers, as we collectively recognise the urgency of creating a green and sustainable future for all.
“To create this future, we urgently need verifiable data sets to measure our progress and provide comparable metrics, therefore our satellites are set to revolutionise climate change by tackling energy wastage and connecting governments and businesses with the necessary data to reduce their carbon emissions."
Mark Boggett, CEO of Seraphim Space, manager of SSIT, said: “We want to congratulate Anthony and the team for this significant achievement and technological breakthrough.
“As the planet gets hotter, the timing of this announcement couldn’t be more important. Business and governments are expressing the need to access verifiable climate data to facilitate a sustainable future for the planet.
“This announcement also further illustrates the increasing market demand for investment into space technologies that are now central to solving humanities most pressing problems."