Daniel Sors Raurell, CEO of OpenCosmos, a satellite technology firm located at the Harwell Space Campus in Oxfordshire, is thrilled to announce the development of a new spacecraft that will assist scientists in monitoring climate change and natural disasters. The UK has joined forces with Portugal and Spain as part of the Atlantic Constellation project, which aims to launch a constellation of satellites that will monitor Earth and provide early warning signs of climate change indicators.
The UK Space Agency has pledged £3 million in funding for a new pathfinder satellite, which will be co-funded by Open Cosmos. This satellite will offer valuable and regularly updated data on Earth’s condition, enabling scientists to detect, track and minimize the risk of natural disasters.
Andrew Griffith, Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology, stated that Earth observation is crucial in addressing global challenges such as climate change and disaster relief. It provides us with critical information at lightning speed while supporting essential UK industries like agriculture and energy. By collaborating with Open Cosmos on this new satellite project and partnering with our Atlantic counterparts, Spain and Portugal, we can harness space technology to achieve our shared objectives while creating job opportunities for future generations to drive economic growth in the UK.