Social Responsibility

SSTL believes that space exploration is about more than just commercial enterprise. With our knowledge and expertise also comes a responsibility to share it for the benefit of mankind.
 

Disaster relief

SSTL established the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) in 2003 – a global network of satellites that can image the damage caused by any natural disaster within hours of it happening. These images are made available to the affected countries and aid agencies free of charge to help them plan relief efforts.

Each satellite in the DMC was designed and built by SSTL and is independently owned and operated, each providing 5% capacity free for daily imaging of disaster areas. The satellites are spaced around a sun-synchronous orbit to ensure complete coverage of the globe.

In November 2005, the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) became an active member of the International Charter ‘Space & Major Disasters’, demonstrating the UK’s continued commitment to international disaster response and in particular the application of space technology to this domain.

Sharing knowledge and expertise

SSTL are keen to share knowledge and expertise with customers who require training for their own engineers, developing skills to help local expertise and industry.

Our links with the University of Surrey provide opportunities to offer MSc and PhD qualifications alongside on-hands training in the operation and maintenance of spacecraft.