Oxford spinout and London start-up selected for AI projects in carbon monitoring and space environmental intelligence
Deep Planet and Space DOTS have been selected as the first cohort of the newly established ESA Phi-Lab UK, receiving nearly £380 000 (€450 000) in seed funding for projects that use AI to address sustainable agriculture and space environmental challenges.
The announcement was made on December 4, 2025, at the Appleton Space Conference, a major annual conference hosted by the UK’s national space laboratory, STFC RAL Space.
The ESA Phi-Lab UK, with focus on space-enabled sustainability technologies, is part of the ScaleUp Element of the newly launched ACCESS Programme from ESA, which aims to accelerate commercialisation and competitiveness of the European space sector. Jointly funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and its partners, and UK Space Agency, the hub is part of the ESA Phi-LabNET – a network of ten ESA Phi-Labs across Europe with the mission of bringing research closer to commercialisation and bridging disruptive research and commercial needs.
Deep Planet, an Oxford University spinout founded in 2018, has been awarded nearly £190 000 (€224 846) for SoilCarbonAI. The project will use AI to predict soil organic carbon levels across regions where ground truth data is typically unavailable. The geospatial AI company will develop a foundation model trained on massive-scale geospatial data. This will enable farmers, agricultural supply chains and governments to drive sustainable land management and improve transparency in carbon offsetting processes.
Space DOTS, a London-based start-up, has been awarded nearly £190 000 (€225 000) for SEISMIC. The project will build network of satellites that monitor conditions in space. The company will integrate sensors into CubeSats and SmallSats to track radiation and space weather. This data will help spacecraft better protect themselves and operate more independently, whether they’re orbiting close to Earth or traveling much farther out into space.
Both companies will receive additional support vouchers of up to €150 000 each to access technical, business and commercial expertise from Phi-Lab partners, including the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Amentum, and Cranfield University.
Research projects hosted at the ESA Phi-Lab UK will benefit from access to STFC and consortium partners’ expertise and facilities. The hub is designed to be a seedbed for transformational innovation in space, with projects selected for their innovation and commercialisation potential.
ESA Phi-Lab UK builds on STFC’s 15-year track record of delivering ESA Business Incubation Centre UK (ESA BIC UK), which has supported numerous companies, creating over 1000 highly skilled jobs. These companies have contributed £350m cumulative direct UK economic impact (GVA), representing a more than 20x return on investment for the UK government, and boast a 95% survival rate, well above the national average. Both companies are also alumni of ESA BIC UK.
Through UK universities, STFC funding has generated 39 spin-out companies between 2007 and 2022. Research conducted in STFC’s National Laboratories has generated 22 spin-out companies between 2002 and 2022, attracting £98 million of third-party investment and creating 294 highly skilled jobs.
Recent advancements in artificial intelligence, quantum sensing, robotics, and earth observation instrumentation are creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs in space-enabled sustainability technology. The ESA Phi-Lab UK aims to catalyse development in these areas while strengthening space clusters across the UK.
The ESA Phi-Lab UK is aligned to several goals identified in the National Space Strategy, including being geographically dispersed across the country and promoting technology advancements relating to space safety, security and sustainability.
Read the reactions
Antonio Costa, Programme Manager for ESA Phi-Lab UK
“From monitoring radiation and space weather to supporting our farming and agriculture networks, STFC is proud to share our world-class expertise and facilities in the space sector to explore solutions to critical problems. The ESA-Phi Lab UK will enable innovators to turn cutting-edge science into practical solutions which address the problems society faces today. By supporting these businesses, we’re helping to enhance the safety and reliability of space operations, create high-quality jobs, strengthen the UK economy, and advance our capabilities in this rapidly growing sector.”
Philip Thomas, Head of ScaleUp Programme Division, ESA
“ESA Phi-Lab UK, within the ScaleUp Element of the ACCESS Programme, is designed to help pioneering companies turn space-enabled ideas into services that work in the real world. By backing Deep Planet and Space DOTS, we are supporting solutions that protect our environment, enhance the robustness of space operations, and contribute to ESA’s long-term ambition for a more capable and resilient European space ecosystem.”
Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency
“These projects exemplify the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit thriving in our UK space sector. By supporting this cutting-edge work, we’re not only advancing our capabilities in Earth observation and space situational awareness, but also demonstrating how space technology can deliver real benefits here on Earth. The ESA Phi-Lab UK will help accelerate the commercialisation of transformative space technologies while supporting the UK’s ambitions for a sustainable and competitive space sector.”
Bianca Cefalo, CEO and Founder of Space DOTS
“We are honoured to join ESA Phi-Lab UK’s first cohort. SEISMIC is an important step toward treating the space environment as an operational data layer, not a background risk. Working alongside ESA and the SWIMMR team is a major milestone for Space DOTS and a catalyst for Europe’s future resilience and autonomy in orbit.”
Sushma Shankar, Co-Founder and CEO of Deep Planet
“We are incredibly excited to have been selected as part of the inaugural cohort for the ESA Phi-Lab UK. This is a fantastic recognition of Deep Planet’s scientific approach to leveraging geospatial AI for critical environmental monitoring, particularly in areas like regenerative agriculture. We are looking forward to collaborating with our global field partners including National Trust, Alliance Wines and Synergy India Ventures, and ESA Phi-Lab UK to push the boundaries of AI and Earth Observation, thus accelerating the impact of space technology for a sustainable future.”
About the Science and Technology Facilities Council
The UKRI Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) funds and supports research in particle and nuclear physics, astronomy, gravitational research and astrophysics, and space science and also operates a network of five national laboratories as well as supporting UK research at a number of international research facilities including CERN, FERMILAB and the ESO telescopes in Chile. STFC is keeping the UK at the forefront of international science and has a broad science portfolio and works with the academic and industrial communities to share its expertise.
About the European Space Agency
The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space.
ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
ESA has 23 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia are Associate Members.
ESA has established formal cooperation with four Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.
By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions.
Learn more about ESAAbout the UK Space Agency
The UK Space Agency exists to boost prosperity, understand the Universe, and protect our planet and outer space.
We support a thriving UK space ecosystem – a network of investors, scientists, engineers, universities and research labs – and a sector that generates an annual income of £18.9 billion and employs 55 000 people across the country.
Our staff includes scientists, engineers, commercial experts, project managers and policy officials who:
- catalyse investment to advance space-based technology and maximise UK space sector growth;
- deliver missions and capabilities that responsibly meet national needs and advance our understanding of the Universe; and
- champion the power of space to inspire people, offer greener, smarter solutions and support a sustainable future.
Media inquiries
For media inquiries, contact:
Jake Hepburn
Press Officer, Science and Technology Facilities Council
Mob: +44 7557 317200
Email: jake.hepburn@stfc.ac.uk