Satellite Vu to investigate using infrared satellite data for thermal measurement of maritime applications

The SPRINT project will capture airborne data to enable Satellite Vu to evaluate the capabilities of high resolution, space borne Medium Wave InfraRed (MWIR) data for measuring the thermal output of structures. This will help maritime organisations to improve the management of their energy consumption and industrial processes as well as support their surveillance needs.

The project will fly an MWIR camera on an aeroplane to collect data from areas of the Solent and surrounding maritime areas including boat/shipyards and marinas, simulating the data that would be captured from a space-based sensor. The University of Surrey will provide Satellite Vu with advanced analysis techniques to process and validate the acquired imagery to demonstrate potential commercial maritime applications. These will focus on the advantages that MWIR might have over Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data for small boat detection.

Satellite Vu plans to procure its first satellite from Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) for launch in 2021, with the launch of a further six satellites starting in 2023 to position the company as the first global commercial satellite platform to offer high resolution MWIR data.

The project will be funded by a grant from the £4.8 million SPRINT (SPace Research and Innovation Network for Technology) programme that provides unprecedented access to university space expertise and facilities. SPRINT helps businesses through the commercial exploitation of space data and technologies.