SuperSharp advances toward 2026 mission with funding boost and prototype completion

SuperSharp advances toward 2026 mission with funding boost and prototype completion
by Sophie Jenkins
London, UK (SPX) Mar 19, 2025

SuperSharp Space Systems Ltd (SuperSharp), a spin-off from the University of Cambridge, has marked two major achievements on its path toward space deployment. The UK Space Agency has awarded the company Pounds 5 million to support an in-orbit demonstration of its innovative unfolding thermal infrared (TIR) telescope, designed to aid climate change mitigation. Simultaneously, SuperSharp has finalized and delivered the first prototype of its high-resolution space telescope, Hibiscus, which is slated for launch in the final quarter of 2026. The Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation, in collaboration with the UK Space Agency, backed the prototype's development. These accomplishments solidify SuperSharp's rising prominence in leveraging space-based imaging to combat climate change.

SuperSharp is pioneering compact telescopes that expand once in orbit to capture extremely detailed images of Earth. Their telescopes offer as much as ten times the imaging resolution per cost unit compared to traditional systems. This technological leap enables precise observations down to individual buildings while covering wide areas, allowing for comprehensive city-wide scans in a single orbit. The company targets practical climate-related uses, such as monitoring agricultural heat stress and identifying heat loss from buildings, to drive sustainable solutions from concept to deployment in space.

The financial award stems from the National Space Innovation Programme, an initiative by the UK Space Agency to accelerate high-impact space technologies and stimulate sector growth across the UK. SuperSharp is among eight UK space innovators collectively receiving Pounds 24 million in funding.

Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, stated in July 2024: "These new projects will help kickstart growth, create more high-quality jobs, protect our planet and preserve the space environment for future generations. They go to the heart of what we want to achieve as a national space agency that supports cutting-edge innovation, spreads opportunity across the UK and delivers the benefits of space back to citizens on earth."

Despite long-standing interest in using thermal infrared data for sustainability efforts, practical applications have struggled to materialize. The main hurdle, dubbed the "Goldilocks Problem," stems from a mismatch in existing imaging technologies: large satellites capture detailed images sporadically, while smaller satellites collect frequent but low-resolution data. As a result, real-time, building-level thermal assessments have remained out of reach for most urban areas.

SuperSharp addresses this challenge with a unique strategy. Its compact telescopes unfold in space to form large, high-resolution imaging platforms. This allows the company to match existing resolution benchmarks while significantly broadening the field of view, covering entire cities or agricultural zones efficiently. The result is a higher resolution-to-cost ratio, unlocking new possibilities for space-based climate mitigation tools.

In February 2025, SuperSharp revealed it had selected Kongsberg NanoAvionics' MP42 microsatellite as the host platform for its upcoming mission. The launch is planned for late 2026 via SpaceX's Transporter rideshare program.

Marco Gomez-Jenkins, CEO of SuperSharp, commented: "These are two critical milestones in SuperSharp's history, and in the coming age of space observation for climate change mitigation. We're proud of the vote of confidence that the UK Space Agency funding represents, and the delivery of the first prototype of our Hibiscus telescope. Our objective has always been to rewrite the economics of space imaging, through innovative technology and a user-centered approach, and we're on our way."