Our 'hot takes' and key insights:

Agriculture is still ripe for digital disruption – Despite being humanity’s oldest industry, farming is just starting to embrace AI, satellite intelligence, and automation. There are massive untapped productivity gains.

Space tech is no longer just for astronauts and scientists – It’s mainstream now, influencing food supply chains, commodity trading, disaster response, and climate monitoring.

Climate change is a business problem, not just a policy issue – The cocoa and coffee industries are at risk, and big corporations aren’t waiting for governments to act—they’re using satellite tech to adapt in real-time.

Space is not a sustainability villain, but a key sustainability enabler – You do need to burn a lot of fuel to get up into orbit, but from there satellites help track deforestation, emissions, and climate risks, offsetting their carbon footprint with actionable data. In fact, we will be unable to reach our net zero goals without satellite technology. 

Forget Mars, fix Earth first – While interplanetary expansion is an exciting dream, we have more urgent issues on Earth. Investments should focus on mitigating climate risks, securing food supplies, and optimising industries.

The UK has a real shot at leading in space-based digital tech – With companies like HSAT.ai, the UK can position itself as a global hub for AI-driven satellite intelligence, serving agriculture, finance, and sustainability sectors worldwide.

Read on for some of the key discussion points and make sure you check out the full The PSC in Conversation episode on Spotify.

Key themes discussed:

Space and Satellites in Digital and Tech

• The UK’s space and satellite sector has been growing 3.5 to 4.7 times faster than the broader economy.
• The industry underpins key sectors like defense, advanced manufacturing, and digital tech.

HSAT.ai’s Role in Agriculture & Commodities Markets

• HSAT.ai provides data intelligence for agricultural commodities like wheat, cocoa, and sugar.
• Clients include food manufacturers (e.g., Coca-Cola), commodity traders, and hedge funds.
• Uses weather analysis, satellite imagery, and on-ground truthing to predict crop yields and pricing trends.

Economic Growth Through Digital Agriculture

• Increased efficiency and reduced waste in farming using satellite data.
• Agricultural supply chains can be optimised through better logistics and predictive insights.
• Climate change threatens cocoa and coffee production, making data-driven procurement decisions critical.

New Applications of Space and Satellite Data

• Disaster assessment: HSAT.ai has helped assess the impact of earthquakes and floods on industries.
• Supply chain transparency: Satellite tech is being used to verify sustainable coffee production in Colombia.
• Monitoring emissions: Satellite sensors are detecting sulfur dioxide leaks from factories, improving accountability.

Sustainability of Space & Satellite Industry

• Concerns over high carbon footprint of rocket launches.
• However, benefits of satellites (e.g., GPS, mobile connectivity, and space-based solar power) outweigh emissions - though the industry could do a better job of explaining this. 
• Potential for solar-powered data centers in space, reducing terrestrial energy consumption.

Expanding Agricultural Tech

• HSAT.ai started with crop monitoring but evolved into end-to-end supply chain management.
• Their technology helps farmers, haulers, and factories coordinate more efficiently.
• Shows how even traditional industries like farming can be revolutionised with digital tools.

Stay tuned for our next episode in the series - out next Thursday 27th March - where we are joined by Director of CGI, Peter Death, to discuss the role of space and satellites in defence. If you missed it, catch up on our first episode in the series with Lord Victor Adebowale, who introduces the government's Invest 2035 industrial strategy, and where we discuss the role that space and satellites could play within it. 

About the podcast series:

In ‘The PSC in Coversation: Space for Growth’, we are joined by different guests to explore the role that the space and satellite industry plays in three out of seven of the growth driving sectors of the economy, as identified by the Invest 2035 strategy: digital and technology, defence, and advanced manufacturing. The strategy went out to consultation in the autumn of last year - The PSC submitted a response to this alongside people from across UK industry and academia, and the government has just finished considering our response alongside everyone else's.