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Motion · S6M-05543 · 26 Jul 2022

University of Glasgow Students Win Climate Satellite Design Competition

Lodged by Sandesh Gulhane Standard Motion 26 supporters

The motion

That the Parliament congratulates a team of 10 students from the University of Glasgow, named team OirthirSAT, on winning £600,000 in the Nanosat Design Competition, run by the UK Space Agency together with the Department for Transport; understands that the competition, which opened in November 2021, invited aspiring space scientists to design a climate change satellite for launch from the UK to help inform solutions to climate change; recognises that the OirthirSAT team designed a satellite to analyse shorelines and coastal vegetation to help scientists and policy makers understand the impact of climate change upon coastal regions; notes that the team was announced the winner at a ceremony with the UK Space Agency Chief Executive, Dr Paul Bate, and the European Space Agency astronaut, Matthias Maurer, at the Farnborough International Airshow; commends the team for beating more than 40 teams from across the UK and for receiving particular praise from the judges for identifying a clear way to tackle climate change and test new technologies; welcomes that the prize money will be used by the team to build the satellite with ongoing support from the competition’s mentors, with a view to launching the satellite from the UK in the coming years, and believes that now is a particularly important time for the UK Government to support the next generation of space experts in the exploration of new and innovative designs, given that this is a historic year for the UK space sector with it set to become the first country in Europe to host small satellite launches in 2022, which it considers will boost the UK's leading satellite industry and create hundreds of jobs across the UK.

Supporters (26)

Source: the Scottish Parliament motions and amendments record.