In the last year the Society has overcome some significant challenges and undertaken fundamental reform to ensure a sustainable future. The Society is now quickly moving forwards thanks in particular to the hard work of the Trustees with support from our President, Professor Sir Paul Curran.
This has culminated in an improved more personalised membership model and this new website. We are building our events programme and rebooting our Thematic Research Groups (which will be thought leaders) and have a number of new and exciting offers. Please take a few moments to have a look through the website and let us know what you think.
The website is still under development, but there is a lot more to come, including a member only area where you can access services and opportunities not available to non-members.
If you are not yet a member then click here to find out more.

**Martin Smye-Rumsby**

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RSPSoc News, Consultation, Earth Observation

UK Space Consultation: Your Views are Important

RSPSoc News, Consultation, Earth Observation

UK SPACE CONSULTATION: YOUR VIEWS ARE IMPORTANT

The House of Lords Committee on UK Engagement with Space published a call for written evidence for its inquiry to consider UK policies relating to space, and both the opportunities and challenges related to the UK’s engagement with space. It is inviting interested individuals and organisations to submit their views on these issues.

RSPSoc will be responding to this, but wanted that response to be informed by your views. If you are able, can you get back to me by 13th April 2025.

Could you have a quick look at the inquiry questions below and let us know your views (on some or all). You can respond directly to me at membership@rspsoc.org.uk and to the inquiry by clicking h ere. If you do respond to the inquiry can you also copy your response to me please.

The Committee has the following questions
• The opportunities and challenges relating to the UK space sector, including the comparative strengths of the UK, how the sector’s growth can be supported, and the potential of new space technologies.
• The opportunities and challenges facing space-related businesses operating in the UK, including access to capital, ability to ‘scale-up’, and international competition.
• The existing international partnerships that the UK is involved in, and the potential for future partnerships with both state and commercial actors.
• The importance of the provision of a safe operating environment in space, and how the UK can contribute to this, in particular regarding space weather and space debris.
• The development of international space law and regulation.
• The collaboration between academic institutions, government, and commercial space firms in the UK, including but not limited to space research and development and space spin-out and start-up firms.
• Education and skills; in particular the skills gap in the UK space sector.
• The future of UK space science and civil exploration.
• The impact of space on national security and resilience.

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RSPSoc News, Consultation, Earth Observation

Marine

Step change for PML’s remote sensing capabilities with new, cutting-edge drone technology

Marine

A new PML-led project, funded through the NERC: Natural Environment Research Council Net Zero Aerial Capability (NZArC) programme, aims to revolutionise how underwater environments are mapped, particularly shallow waters like river sections and coastal areas with low turbidity.

Titled ‘A remotely piloted aerial Green LiDAR for mapping bathymetry of shallow waters and elevation of boundary land (Green LiDAR)’, the project involves collaborations with British Geological Survey, National Oceanography Centre, Scottish Association For Marine Science and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), using state-of-the-art aerial equipment to provide underwater mapping (bathymetry) data where other sensors struggle or simply fail to provide solutions.

Aser Mata Torollo, Project Leader and Earth Observation Scientist at PML, commented:

“Mapping of shallow waters is especially vital for studying blue carbon habitats such as mangroves, seagrasses, and tidal marshes as these are some of the most efficient natural carbon sinks on Earth. These habitats store and sequester carbon at rates far exceeding tropical forests but mapping their underwater terrain and estimating carbon storage has been a major challenge”.

While bathymetry of the seabed or rivers can be obtained using other boat and instruments such as multibeam echosounders, these sensors cannot be deployed in very shallow waters. To help deliver mapping of ecologically and economically-important underwater environments that are hard-to-reach, the project has allowed for an innovative RIEGL UK Ltd VQ-840-GL Topo-Bathymetric LiDAR sensor to be obtained along with a dedicated third-party drone platform.

Message from RSPSoc’s Chair Martin Smye-Rumsby

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Newsletter February 2025