The United Kingdom government is taking help of satellites in space to solve some significant challenges, including climate change.
 
Eleven UK organisations were today awarded a share of just under £7 million of government funding to put into action the latest advances in space innovation.

The majority of the projects focus on climate change or environmental management, with others designed to secure telecommunication systems and protect digital infrastructure against cyber-attacks.

Projects include building a compact high-resolution infrared camera for satellites to measure thermal emissions from homes, schools and places of work, helping to improve energy efficiency.

The Open University in Milton Keynes will develop the mission concept for 'TreeView', a forestry and management tool that will support a nature-based solution to tackling climate change by monitoring the health of trees from space.

Other projects include placing high resolution thermal infrared space telescopes for globally monitoring the energy efficiency of buildings and also development of a new small satellite observation system using microwave sensors that will enhance ability to monitor the planet's increasing weather variability. 

The funding comes from the UK Space Agency's National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) and has been announced on Tuesday as the UK hosts the COP 26 climate talks in Glasgow.

Space is playing an essential role in the fight against climate change, with satellites collecting half of the 56 types of data needed to measure and understand climate change.

"Whether it's monitoring greenhouse gas emissions or supporting increased tree planting, this new funding will take game-changing ideas from the UK space sector and our brilliant scientists, and turn them into reality," said UK's Science Minister George Freeman today.

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