British Investment in Environmental Satellites Continues Positive Trend

摘要

The United Kingdom continues to raise its profile in space activity, most recently with a commitment to invest 15 million British pounds ($25 million) in a pair of international environmental satellite projects, both involving France. As part of a bilateral framework agreement between the two nations, Britain and France agreed to partner on the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer Next Generation instrument for the latest Metop polar-orbiting weather satellites being built for Europe's Eumetsat weather satellite organization. That investment totals 5.5 million British pounds. The U.K. also agreed to sink 7.5 million British pounds into the U.S.-European Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite. Slated to launch in 2020, SWOT is the follow-on to the long-running series of U.S.-French Jason satellites whose once-experimental ocean topography measurements have become indispensable to weather forecasters.