Latest Earth Observation & Space Applications News

Summarising the latest Earth Observation (EO) news, this week we’re looking at the latest Copernicus Contributing Mission, the latest solar observation satellite from China, a HAPS world altitude record and an announcement from Monaco! We’ll start with the Copernicus Contributing … Continue reading

Dangers of Blooms

Phytoplankton are microscopic organisations that live in both fresh and seawater and form one of the lowest levels of the aquatic food chain, with many marine creatures eating them. Phytoplankton contain chlorophyll, like plants, and therefore require sunlight to survive … Continue reading

Launches, Losses & Long Life!

NASA’s Landsat-9 was successfully launched on the 27th September, but it was not the only satellite onboard the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, as two cubesats also hitched a ride: Cusp Plasma Imaging Detector (CuPID) is an Earth Observation … Continue reading

Developing UK Space Capabilities

After looking at China in the previous blog, this time we’re highlighting the latest space capability developments within the UK and a few things have happened in the last week. Firstly, last Friday the UK launched Space Command – whilst … Continue reading

New European Space Programme & USA and Russia Launches

Last week the European Union (EU) and European Space Agency (ESA) signed a new Financial Framework Partnership Agreement (FFPA) that marks the start of a new EU space programme covering the period to 2027. The programme includes investment in space … Continue reading

UK Space Sector After Brexit

As everyone in Europe will be aware, and probably others around the world, after four years of talking an eleventh hour trade agreement was reached between the UK and Europe on the 24th December 2020 to get Brexit done … … Continue reading

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Launches

The latest satellite of the Copernicus Sentinel family was launched last Saturday, 21st November, at 17.17 GMT. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich was taken into orbit by SpaceX via the Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, USA, … Continue reading

Good or Bad Week for UK Space Industry … You Decide

Last week saw some interesting developments for the UK Space Industry. Firstly, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Industrial Policy Committee awarded contracts of €2.55 billion for the development of six new Copernicus satellite missions, with both Thales and Airbus being … Continue reading

Earth Observation Leads The Way

The European Space Agency’s Ministerial Council met in Seville in Spain last week and agreed the organisations biggest ever budget of €14.338 billion covering the period of 2020. This matched the funding level that ESA was requesting at the meeting, … Continue reading

SMOS Hits Tin

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite has just celebrated ten years in orbit, remarkable for a satellite whose mission life was considered to be a minimum of three years. It was launched on the … Continue reading