Satellite Applications Catapult and GHGSat, the global leader in high-resolution emissions monitoring from space, have partnered to provide satellite data on domestic and international methane emissions for R&D in the UK.
The company will also be opening an international analytics centre co-located in London and Edinburgh, following the announcement at Space-Comm Expo 2023.
The partnership will provide UK organisations with access to high-resolution methane emissions satellite data. GHGSat is also providing observation data directly to the UK Space Agency, Ordnance Survey and other government departments as part of the initial £5.5m deal, funded by the UK Space Agency and delivered by the Satellite Applications Catapult.
Monitoring greenhouse gases
GHGSat pioneered the monitoring of greenhouse gases from space at a resolution sufficient to attribute emissions directly to individual facilities. Users from academia, industry and the public sector will be able to access the new resource through the Satellite Applications Catapult.
The emissions dataset will allow UK researchers and companies to unlock new applications for climate impact.
The UK Space Agency’s CEO, Dr Paul Bate, said: “Satellites are getting smaller and more powerful, giving us an ideal vantage point from which to monitor global greenhouse gas emissions and inform decision-making on the path to Net Zero. GHGSat is an innovative company which has demonstrated the value of the data collected by its eight existing satellites.
“This new partnership will build on the UK’s strengths in Earth observation expertise and data analytics, catalyse additional investment into our growing space sector, and ultimately help protect our planet.”
Catapult CEO, Stuart Martin said: “This is innovation at its best — an innovative programme that will itself stimulate innovation across the public and private sector. It is through such initiatives that we will solve the challenges of our time.”
David Henderson, Ordnance Survey Geospatial Officer said: “GHGSat’s data will help us as we explore new ways to support UK and international governments in developing insights and authoritative data services that inform national policy and help reduce emissions.”
Adina Gillespie, who led the development of the programme as European Director at GHGSat, said: “The UK has long been a world-leader in small satellites and application of space data to real-world problems. This first of its kind deal is an important next step towards a future where governments and industry join forces to fully exploit space data.”
New UK analytics centre
GHGSat’s new UK analytics centre, also announced at Space-Comm, will develop industrial greenhouse intelligence using data from the company’s current and future satellites. It will focus on developing products integrating emissions and climate finance information to improve the ‘e’ in ESG (Environment, Social and Governance).
GHGSat’s CEO, Stephane Germain, said: “Increasing demand from a world hungry for accurate industrial emissions measurements and analytics means we are growing quickly, with more satellites and ever expanding capability. Our new UK centre is ideally located in time and geography to harness this and deliver new, valuable tools for climate finance.”
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