Three UK-built satellites, aimed at monitoring climate change and tracking endangered wildlife, are set to launch on a SpaceX rocket.

The trio of satellites are due to lift off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on the Falcon 9 rocket.

SpaceX is a US-based aerospace manufacturer founded in 2002 by Tesla chief executive Elon Musk, which competes with Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin.

The UK companies behind the satellites have received nearly £15 million from the UK Space Agency, via the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Pioneer Partnership Programme.

One of the participants, Oxfordshire-based Lacuna Space, creates sensors that can be used to monitor the environment, track wildlife, and help farmers by providing data on the health of cattle and crops and for water and soil management.

Lacuna claim these sensors can fit in the palm of your hand and run for years off a single battery charge.

Glasgow-based start-up Spire, who produced two of the satellites, develop optical intersatellite links (ISL) which it said will enable constellations of satellites to become integrated networks in space.

Spire claim these networks will be capable of delivering high volumes of data to anywhere in the world quickly, including remote and rural areas, disaster areas, and at sea.
Spire received nearly £9 million of total funding from the ESA.

The third satellite was built by the Hampshire-based In-Space Missions, supported by £4.9 million of funding.

In-Space’s “Faraday Phoenix” satellite incorporates payloads for six customers including Airbus, Lacuna, SatixFy, and Aeternum.

The four-hour long take-off window is set to begin on 8pm BST on Friday 25th June.
Satellite start-ups continue to attract both private and public sector investment in the UK.

UK start-up Satellite Vu recently raised £3.6 million to launch a satellite infrastructure it claims will be capable of imaging the thermal footprint of any building on the planet multiple times a day.

“As we get ready to host the UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, in Glasgow later this year, the UK is leading the way in exploiting space to tackle climate change, developing satellites that enable our world class scientists to monitor the environment in remarkable detail,” said science minister Amanda Solloway. “As well as supporting out climate ambitions, these British-built satellites will provide exciting innovation in remote sensing and tracking, kickstarting industry to offer new services that will help to improve all our lives.”

Rob Spurrett, chief executive AT Lacuna, said: "Much like the early days of the internet, when it was hard to imagine the impact of having everybody connected, it seems there is an endless world of possibilities from now connecting physical objects or 'things.' In cities there are many possible ways to do that, but our service ensures that rural parts of the UK and even the most remote locations in the world are part of this data revolution."

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