Applications of Satellite Earth Observations section - NEODAAS: Providing satellite data for efficient research

The NERC Earth Observation Data Acquisition and Analysis Service (NEODAAS) provides a central point of Earth Observation (EO) satellite data access and expertise for UK researchers. The service is tailored to individual users’ requirements to ensure that researchers can focus effort on their science, rather than struggling with correct use of unfamiliar satellite data

Satellite monitoring of harmful algal blooms (HABs) to protect the aquaculture industry

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) can cause sudden and considerable losses to fish farms, for example 500,000 salmon during one bloom in Shetland, and also present a threat to human health. Early warning allows the industry to take protective measures. PML's satellite monitoring of HABs is now funded by the Scottish aquaculture industry. The service involves processing EO ocean colour data from NASA and ESA in near-real time, and applying novel techniques for discriminating certain harmful blooms from harmless algae. Within the AQUA-USERS project we are extending this capability to further HAB species within several European countries

NewSpace and the european space economy

A guide for engineers to better understand space economy. A guide for policy-makers to better understand the space sector. The statement above is probably the best way to sum up the main goal of this work: to connect space engineering and economy in a theoretical approach. The proposal for the thesis is to study the economy of space in Europe and the main challenges for the crucial future decades. This work is intended to give insight into economic strategies in order to enhance the growth of the space sector whilst also detailing the state of space technology in Europe today. This thesis should be useful as a guide for those looking to comprehend the state of space technology in Europe, those interested in creating new companies and those who want to invest in space technology. The broader goal is to focus on solving the fundamental Five Ws with respect to space technology and its socio-economic consequences in Europe. All fundamental questions must be assessed avoiding prior subjective assumptions and/or desired outcomes. Space is experiencing a major shift from concentrated government-lead projects to an ever-increasing volume of commercial activities. This thesis aims to break down the fundamental aspects that are driving the current transformation of space1 while also taking a deep dive into the European space sector, future space economy trends and Europe’s role in the global space sector. In addition, the future of space clusters, space agencies and private-public interactions will be studied. The statement and aim are broad indicators of the contents of the thesis. Before defining specific objectives, some of the topics need defining in a more precise way. Let us make a list of relevant topics to be assessed in the thesis: The emerging NewSpace and Space 4.0 agenda proposed and adopted by ESA require space technologies to be developed coordinating public and private sectors. The rapid increase of private market ecosystems in space in the US and the emerging Indian and Chinese Space markets urge Europe to develop strategies to compete by fostering new private endeavours and stimulating the creation of new markets. Space in Europe may focus on optimizing regional technology clusters paying more attention on regions which could play a larger role in ESA’s industrial policy in the future. Considerations on the creation of new high-tech jobs for social and political concerns would create new opportunities to least developed countries. New financing models or investment communities to effectively catalyse dynamic risk capital investments and additional private investments in the sector. This can be done by studying economic profitability, its relation to specific space technologies and dependency on short/long term growths. A new approach to further linking universities, research institutions, private companies and ESA could be an interesting tool to fully develop student skills and interactions in the real world. An overview of clusters and ecosystems can be key to understand how policy makers can stimulate the growth of the space sector

Robotics and AI-Enabled On-Orbit Operations With Future Generation of Small Satellites

The low-cost and short-lead time of small satellites has led to their use in science-based missions, earth observation, and interplanetary missions. Today, they are also key instruments in orchestrating technological demonstrations for On-Orbit Operations (O 3 ) such as inspection and spacecraft servicing with planned roles in active debris removal and on-orbit assembly. This paper provides an overview of the robotics and autonomous systems (RASs) technologies that enable robotic O 3 on smallsat platforms. Major RAS topics such as sensing & perception, guidance, navigation & control (GN&C) microgravity mobility and mobile manipulation, and autonomy are discussed from the perspective of relevant past and planned missions

Spaceborne L-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar Data for Geoscientific Analyses in Coastal Land Applications: A Review

The coastal zone offers among the world’s most productive and valuable ecosystems and is experiencing increasing pressure from anthropogenic impacts: human settlements, agriculture, aquaculture, trade, industrial activities, oil and gas exploitation and tourism. Earth observation has great capability to deliver valuable data at the local, regional and global scales and can support the assessment and monitoring of land‐ and water‐related applications in coastal zones. Compared to optical satellites, cloud‐cover does not limit the timeliness of data acquisition with spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors, which have all‐weather, day and night capabilities. Hence, active radar systems demonstrate great potential for continuous mapping and monitoring of coastal regions, particularly in cloud‐prone tropical and sub‐tropical climates. The canopy penetration capability with long radar wavelength enables L‐band SAR data to be used for coastal terrestrial environments and has been widely applied and investigated for the following geoscientific topics: mapping and monitoring of flooded vegetation and inundated areas; the retrieval of aboveground biomass; and the estimation of soil moisture. Human activities, global population growth, urban sprawl and climate change‐induced impacts are leading to increased pressure on coastal ecosystems causing land degradation, deforestation and land use change. This review presents a comprehensive overview of existing research articles that apply spaceborne L‐band SAR data for geoscientific analyses that are relevant for coastal land applications