Marking World Space Week 2025, the UK Space Agency has announced the launch of six new projects funded through its third Climate Services Call. The initiatives, supported by a combined investment of £380,000, are set to use satellite data and Earth Observation (EO) technology to develop practical, high-tech tools for tackling climate challenges across the UK and beyond.
This year’s World Space Week theme, “Living in Space,” highlights how space technologies are directly improving life on Earth, particularly by supporting sustainable living through better environmental monitoring and measurement.
Project Spotlight: Monitoring Carbon, Forests, and Oceans
The six newly funded projects are focused on transforming satellite data into practical applications for sectors ranging from forestry to sustainable aviation, driving both environmental benefit and economic growth.
1. Woodland Health and Carbon Valuation (New Gradient)
- Goal: To help landowners and investors assess the impact and value of nature-based climate solutions.
- Method: Developing machine learning tools that use satellite and aerial data to accurately measure the health and carbon value of woodlands. This will streamline the funding and management of tree planting and restoration projects.
2. Automated Forest Surveys (Data Dynamics with Fangorn)
- Goal: To improve the efficiency and accuracy of forest management.
- Method: Testing whether drones and satellite images combined with artificial intelligence can replace traditional, costly on-foot forest surveys. The project aims to create fast, accurate maps of individual trees, saving time and money.
3. Building Trust in Carbon Credits (Treeconomy – Project QUBIST)
- Goal: To tackle a key challenge for nature-based climate solutions: establishing trust in carbon credits.
- Method: Pioneering a cutting-edge methodology integrating data from multiple satellites with advanced statistical models to robustly quantify and reduce uncertainty in forest carbon estimates. This approach is designed to build investor confidence and strengthen the UK’s nature-based climate market.
4. Sustainable Aviation Fuel Tracking (Amelia Space Technologies)
- Goal: To support the UK’s efforts to make flying greener by ensuring sustainable sourcing for fuel.
- Method: Building a system that uses satellite data and artificial intelligence to track agricultural waste that can be turned into Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). This promotes a more circular economy and helps ensure materials meet necessary environmental standards.
5. Detailed Woodland Mapping (2Excel)
- Goal: To assess the overall condition of habitats, not just the location of trees.
- Method: Exploring new types of satellites capable of capturing detailed images of woodland areas. The focus is on spotting signs of stress, deadwood, or invasive species—key indicators of biodiversity and carbon storage potential.
6. Protecting Seagrass Meadows (Plastic-i – Project Sequestra)
- Goal: To safeguard vital coastal habitats that store carbon and support marine life.
- Method: Developing a UK-led satellite and AI tool to protect seagrass meadows. By combining high-resolution satellite and drone data, Sequestra will detect damage from boat activity and estimate how much carbon is being stored or lost, supporting more sustainable marine management.
Economic and Environmental Impact
Beyond direct environmental benefits, the projects demonstrate the vital role of EO in driving economic growth. The insights gained from satellite data are expected to fuel new industries, create skilled jobs, and unlock innovative business opportunities in the environmental and technology sectors.
Together, these six projects demonstrate how space technology can help us understand and protect our natural environment. The UK Space Agency notes that, ultimately, “Living in space starts with learning how to live better on Earth. These projects show how satellite data can help us make smarter decisions about our environment, our resources and our future.”
