Physicists from the University of Nottingham are part of a £9m project to enhance the ability to monitor the Earth's atmosphere and measure critical emissions.
Delivered by the Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation (CEOI), which brings together UK expertise from industry and academia, there are 12 projects that will enhance the ability to monitor Earth's atmosphere, and measure critical emissions, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen dioxide.
The University of Nottingham's School of Physics is part of one of the 12 projects to receive funding from the UK Space Agency. The project, led by RAL Space, will use quantum technology to build a new generation of sensors that can accurately measure the density of the Earth's atmosphere. This will support better predictions of small satellite trajectories and re-entries. The project will build a fully functional breadboard to demonstrate the concept.
Nottingham has a long history in the understanding, control and technological application of magnetic fields. For the past decade, we have been developing magnetic field-shaping systems for quantum technologies that enable gravity, acceleration, and magnetic fields themselves to be measured with unprecedented sensitivity. This new collaboration using cold atoms in space to monitor Earth's atmosphere and climate change is an exciting real-world application of the quantum technology components that we have developed.
The UK is a world leader in Earth observation, having pledged £314 million to Earth observation programmes as part of a record £1.8 billion investment in the European Space Agency (ESA).
Andrew Griffith MP, Minister for Space at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, said: "This exciting new generation of satellite instruments, backed by £9 million in government funding, will play a key part in our efforts to tackle climate change, pinpointing where emissions are highest on our planet and cementing UK leadership in Earth observation, while helping to attract more private investment into this fast-growing sector."
"Earth observation is a vitally important way for us to measure human impact on our planet, as well as monitoring climate, natural disasters, and weather. RAL Space has a strong heritage in developing novel instruments to meet scientific and societal needs, so it's fantastic to see four of our ongoing projects recognised with CEOI funding. The diversity of these applications, from quantum sensing to millimetre-wave technology, really show the broad range of technology development we lead, and puts us in a brilliant position to grow the UK's Earth observation capabilities as part of the vision of the National Space Strategy.
