Five projects across the UK will use satellite data to help transform the delivery of public services.
With funding from the UK Space Agency, the projects will bring innovative space companies together with public sector partners, ranging from local councils to government agencies.
They will be using data to from existing satellite networks to help monitor the safety of buildings and infrastructure, track animal and plant life, identify methane leaks and ensure farmers can access the right government support schemes.
The work will be supported by over £2.5 million and comes after a joint call for proposals from the UK Space Agency and ESA’s InCubed2 programme, which was launched in July 2024.
Minister for Space, Sir Chris Bryant, said: "Space technology will help us deliver our Plan for Change by providing solutions to everyday challenges we face on Earth, like climate change.
"Through these projects, we are putting satellite data to work to make sure our public services are delivering good value for money for British people, spotting safety issues in buildings, monitoring greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, and helping farmers support wildlife."
One of the successful projects is CORE: COrner Reflector Enabled Remote Sensing, a system that tracks tiny movements in buildings, bridges and other structures to spot potential safety issues early. The system uses special radar technology and artificial intelligence to constantly monitor infrastructure that might be difficult or expensive to check manually.
THICKET is a biodiversity mapping tool that helps farmers support wildlife on their land. Using their own constellation of satellites that frequently capture detailed images, the system will show farmers exactly what plants and animals are living on their land, helping farmers make better decisions about sustainable farming and access government support schemes like the Sustainable Farming Incentive.
GHGSat UK in London is developing an advanced analytics platform that turns satellite data about greenhouse gases into practical information the government can use for increased accountability across emitting organisations and tailored mitigation strategies and Earth-i in Guildford is building a system that creates useful environmental information from satellite images by developing novel indicators for environmental land monitoring. It will provide analytics directly to the Rural Payments Agency, which manages farming subsidies and environmental schemes.
Finally, HR Wallingford in Oxfordshire is leading a project that uses satellite information to help improve plant and animal diversity. The project is developing ways to use Earth Observation data to track biodiversity changes over time.
Harshbir Sangha, Director of Missions and Capabilities at the UK Space Agency, said: "By bringing together innovative space companies with public sector partners, we’re demonstrating that space technology delivers practical benefits here on Earth. From monitoring biodiversity to ensuring infrastructure safety, these initiatives show how satellite data can drive efficiency, sustainability and better decision-making.
"This investment reflects our commitment to establishing the UK as a global leader in space-enabled public services, creating a blueprint for how space technology can address some of our most pressing societal challenges."
UKspace Executive Director, Colin Baldwin, said: "This investment into the application of satellite data into downstream services covering infrastructure, biodiversity, agriculture, methane emissions and sustainability is very welcome.
"For some time, we have been working with our members and through our committees to highlight how the space industry can bring immense value to the public sector, so we are very encouraged to see the Government recognising the opportunity. Several UKspace member companies are benefiting from this programme and we look forward to seeing their ideas being adopted into new and improved operational services."
