The two shoebox-sized 5kg satellites, the ‘first of a kind’, were designed and built by Spire Global and are unique due to their function, tiny size, low cost and quick build time.

The satellites were launched at 04:27 GMT into low Earth orbit by the Indian Space Research Organisation’s PLSV launcher and opened their first communication windows with Spire Global less than an hour after they separated from the rocket.

Both satellites, developed under the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) ARTES Pioneer programme, will aim to prove the value of ‘nanosats’ in weather monitoring, by using them to measure refracted radio signals passing through the Earth’s atmosphere.  

This style of small satellite could revolutionise work in space, which has traditionally been slow and expensive for business and scientists to access.

Graham Turnock, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said: 
“These incredibly clever pint-sized satellites built in Glasgow could slash the complexity and cost of access to space, presenting an exciting opportunity for the UK to thrive in the commercial Space Age.

“Through our £4m development funding in ESA’s ARTES programme, the government’s Industrial Strategy and by working closely with our international partners, we are helping Scottish businesses transform their ideas into commercial realities, resulting in jobs, growth and innovation.”

The nanosats have been deployed to gather information via space-based radio occultation, the process of using satellites to measure how GNSS signals are refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere.

Experts can use these measurements to obtain temperature, pressure and humidity information for weather forecasting and climate-change monitoring. Weather data gathered by balloons and aircraft can only reach certain altitudes, leaving the higher atmospheric layers untouched. Satellites are able to gather huge amounts of this data from the ground up to the mesosphere.

Khalil Kably, Pioneer programme manager for the European Space Agency said: “We saw a gap in the market for what we call space mission providers: companies that offer all aspects of a space mission to validate a new technology or service for the benefit of others.

“ESA is always looking to champion innovation in the space industry and the idea of Pioneer is that these space mission providers can help this by being a one-stop shop for in-orbit demonstration and therefore reduce the barriers and complexity that can stifle new ideas.”

The satellites were launched from a location in Sriharikota, India, but these home-grown spacecraft could in future be launched from the proposed spaceport in Sutherland, Scotland, due for completion some time in the 2020s.

The UK Space Agency is also supporting a space incubation centre in Glasgow and has provided support over several years to the Scottish Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications, based at the University of Strathclyde and working across the whole of Scotland.

The Centre’s role is to raise awareness of the potential of satellite services and data to be used in new and improved products and services in other ‘space-enabled’ markets – including, for example, offshore renewable energy and aquaculture.

The UK Space Agency is driving the growth of the space sector as part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy with major initiatives including the £99m National Space Test Facility at Harwell. The UK continues to be a leading member of ESA, which is independent of the EU.

The two shoebox-sized 5kg satellites, the ‘first of a kind’, were designed and built by Spire Global and are unique due to their function, tiny size, low cost and quick build time.

The satellites were launched at 04:27 GMT into low Earth orbit by the Indian Space Research Organisation’s PLSV launcher and opened their first communication windows with Spire Global less than an hour after they separated from the rocket.

Both satellites, developed under the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) ARTES Pioneer programme, will aim to prove the value of ‘nanosats’ in weather monitoring, by using them to measure refracted radio signals passing through the Earth’s atmosphere.  

This style of small satellite could revolutionise work in space, which has traditionally been slow and expensive for business and scientists to access.

Graham Turnock, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said: 
“These incredibly clever pint-sized satellites built in Glasgow could slash the complexity and cost of access to space, presenting an exciting opportunity for the UK to thrive in the commercial Space Age.

“Through our £4m development funding in ESA’s ARTES programme, the government’s Industrial Strategy and by working closely with our international partners, we are helping Scottish businesses transform their ideas into commercial realities, resulting in jobs, growth and innovation.”

The nanosats have been deployed to gather information via space-based radio occultation, the process of using satellites to measure how GNSS signals are refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere.

Experts can use these measurements to obtain temperature, pressure and humidity information for weather forecasting and climate-change monitoring. Weather data gathered by balloons and aircraft can only reach certain altitudes, leaving the higher atmospheric layers untouched. Satellites are able to gather huge amounts of this data from the ground up to the mesosphere.

Khalil Kably, Pioneer programme manager for the European Space Agency said: “We saw a gap in the market for what we call space mission providers: companies that offer all aspects of a space mission to validate a new technology or service for the benefit of others.

“ESA is always looking to champion innovation in the space industry and the idea of Pioneer is that these space mission providers can help this by being a one-stop shop for in-orbit demonstration and therefore reduce the barriers and complexity that can stifle new ideas.”

The satellites were launched from a location in Sriharikota, India, but these home-grown spacecraft could in future be launched from the proposed spaceport in Sutherland, Scotland, due for completion some time in the 2020s.

The UK Space Agency is also supporting a space incubation centre in Glasgow and has provided support over several years to the Scottish Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications, based at the University of Strathclyde and working across the whole of Scotland.

The Centre’s role is to raise awareness of the potential of satellite services and data to be used in new and improved products and services in other ‘space-enabled’ markets – including, for example, offshore renewable energy and aquaculture.

The UK Space Agency is driving the growth of the space sector as part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy with major initiatives including the £99m National Space Test Facility at Harwell. The UK continues to be a leading member of ESA, which is independent of the EU.