OMS selects AAC Clyde Space for in-orbit weather observation
Provider of advanced instrumentation for small satellite missions and analysis-ready earth data intelligence platforms, Orbital Micro Systems (OMS), announced it has selected Glasgow-based AAC Clyde Space to provide a 6U satellite bus for the UK Space Launch Programme (UK-SLP).
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The mission is planned for 2021, which will be the first launch from UK soil through the UK-SLP project that is managed by Lockheed Martin.
Under the terms of the contract, OMS and AAC Clyde Space will collaborate to integrate the instrumentation and bus for launch. The companies previously collaborated on the IOD-1 GEMS mission, which successfully deployed the first commercial microwave radiometer in space.
The new 6U satellite will carry OMS’s next generation miniaturised microwave radiometer as a part of the company’s Global Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS) constellation of satellites. The radiometer will monitor 118GHz and 183GHz frequency bands to gather temperature and humidity measurements at multiple altitudes as it orbits the earth.
“We’re delighted to once again work with Clyde Space, and leverage their expertise and commitment to engineering outstanding bus products,” said William Hosack, chief executive officer for OMS. “Clyde Space shares in OMS’s vision in leveraging space technology for improving weather observation capabilities on Earth. We look forward to working even closer with Clyde Space to deliver essential weather data to commercial and government organisations worldwide.”
GEMS is a groundbreaking Earth Observation solution which utilises passive microwave soundings to record temperature and humidity at multiple altitudes regardless of cloud cover. The measurements can provide identification of precipitation type and density at altitude as well. The data collected by GEMS satellites magnifies the volume of microwave soundings available from government satellites and improves the precision and clarity of weather forecasts across the globe.
Access to the unique GEMS data is available through OMS’ International Centre for Earth Data (ICED) located in Edinburgh, Scotland. Data from the IOD-1 GEMS satellite is currently provided to government and commercial entities, including the aviation and maritime sectors, as well as insurance and government organisations. When it achieves full deployment with some 50 satellites, the GEMS constellation will deliver near real-time data for any point on earth at approximately 15-minute intervals.