A new space innovation centre in the UK will lead the development of novel technologies to monitor our planet.
Called the Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation, it will pull together university and industry expertise.
British instruments fly on many of today's major satellites, gathering data on changes in the atmosphere, in the oceans and on the land.
It is hoped the centre will put the UK in a strong position to win contracts for work on future spacecraft.
The new initiative comes from the Natural Environment Research Council (Nerc) and the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI).
The centre will have offices at the Astrium aerospace company in Stevenage and at the University of Leicester - but its main role will be to coordinate research efforts across the country.
"The priorities in the first instance will concentrate on new remote sensing technologies relating to atmospheric chemistry and how that relates to climate," explained Dr Arwyn Davies, director of Earth observation for both Nerc and the British National Space Centre.
View: BBC News
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