UK Space Agency to fund AI-supported satellite climate services

Ten new UK Space Agency projects will receive £530,000 in funding to provide AI-supported climate services to businesses.

The agency said the services will provide information about environmental risks and how to mitigate them, as well as identify green financing opportunities that could support sustainable business growth. 

All of this is done from a space vantage point and will use Earth observation tools, satellite tracking and data on population demographics, the agency said.

George Freeman MP, minister of state in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, said: “The great challenges of our time need bold solutions and from tackling water pollution to carbon emissions and biodiversity threats, the unique perspective that space provides can play a major role in securing the health of our planet and people. 

“By backing UK innovators to make the most of modern technology including satellite data, AI, and Earth observation, we are also supporting businesses up and down our country to grow our economy while driving forward our ambition to make the UK a major player in space.” 

Dr Paul Bate, UK Space Agency chief executive, said: “The UK has a long history of expertise and innovation in Earth observation, developing satellites to collect increasingly detailed data and using that information to build services that help protect our planet. 

“This targeted funding for early-stage innovations is all about supporting fresh ideas and accelerating the rollout of powerful new tools that have the potential to bring benefits to a wide range of users both within and beyond the space sector.” 

The agency said the projects will begin development in September to produce the most updated view of environmental contexts with available Earth observation data, including methane and nitrous oxide emissions, watercourse resilience, biodiversity changes and the infrastructure of decarbonising technologies. 

Each project will receive £55,000. The funding, it said, is the second tranche of investment by the UK Space Agency into climate services development.