Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) News
HydroGNSS is the second mission in the ESA Scout program, demonstrating Earth Observation science with a small budget and rapid schedule. HydroGNSS is a 55kg satellite that will take measurements of key hydrological climate variables, including soil moisture, freeze-thaw state over permafrost, inundation, and wetlands, and above-ground biomass. GNSS Reflectometry It uses a technique called GNSS Reflectometry that exploits signals from Global Navigation Satellites Systems as radar...
The successful launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was a long-awaited event for the Optics team here at SSTL because way back in 2006, they started work on the Integral Field Unit (IFU) for an instrument called NIRSpec (Near InfraRed Spectrograph), one of four science instruments on board the mission and SSTL have been waiting patiently since then for launch. Optics module The optics module SSTL supplied for JWST is highly complex with over 90 mirrors precisely aligned into a...
Satellite Vu signs a deal with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. to build the world’s first high-resolution thermal imaging satellite. British scale-up Satellite Vu, an Earth observation company that offers the highest-resolution thermal imagery and insights, has formally signed a contract with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) to build its first satellite. The new satellite is due to be launched into low earth orbit in Q4 2022. The satellite will collect thermal data day and night a...
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) has signed a contract with Satellite Vu for a Mid Wave Infra-Red (MWIR) thermal imaging satellite which will pave the way for a planned constellation of seven MWIR spacecraft. The constellation will have the ability to measure the heat signature of any building anywhere multiple times a day, enabling Satellite Vu to derive new insights in real-time about building emissions, energy use, and insulation. The contract was signed at SSTL in Guildford by Ph...
SSTL is pleased to be running a side event 'Expanding Domestic Industrial Space Capabilities for the National and Regional Benefit' on 6 December 2021 for the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (#APRSAF2021). SSTL's Kasia Clatworthy will host the event and will be joined by panelists from GISTDA, the Philippines Space Agency, Singapore Space & Technology Ltd, and the Australian space agency. Event Agenda The purpose of this event is to share experiences of countries in the Asi...
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed a contract for HydroGNSS, a 55kg small satellite to measure climate change variables. The contract, with an initial value of €24 million, was signed during ESA Phi Week by Phil Brownnett, SSTL’s Managing Director, and ESA’s Acting Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Toni Tolker-Nielsen. Scout program Scout program marks a new approach for ESA, recognizing the performance and uti...
The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a contract with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) for communications services from Lunar Pathfinder, due to launch in 2024. Commercial Lunar Mission Support Services The Commercial Lunar Mission Support Services contract was signed between ESA’s Director of Human and Robotic Exploration, Dave Parker, and SSTL’s Managing Director, Phil Brownnett, on 15 September 2021 at The Royal Society in London. Amanda Solloway, UK Government Scien...
