A London-based company, founded in 2016, that is building thermal imaging satellites to measure heat from buildings and industry.
Satellite Vu, also written SatVu, is building satellites that can see heat. Its HotSat satellites carry a mid-wave infrared camera, which senses heat rather than visible light, so they can produce pictures of how much heat leaks from buildings and industrial sites, including at night. SatVu says this will help with energy efficiency and decarbonisation, and with checking claims companies make about their environmental impact. Other uses it names include infrastructure monitoring, climate resilience and national security. The company calls HotSat "the world's thermometer".
Anthony Baker founded the company in 2016 and is its chief executive. He has said the aim is to deliver "unparalleled thermal insights" so industries and governments can take "decisive climate action". The first satellite, HotSat-1, launched on 12 June 2023 on a SpaceX rocket, but stopped working in December 2023 after a technical problem. The second, HotSat-2, launched on 30 March 2026, and a third is planned. This kind of setback is common in space, and the company's response shows how a young team keeps going after an early disappointment.
SatVu is based in London, and its satellites are made with other UK businesses. Surrey Satellite Technology in Guildford builds the spacecraft on its DarkCarb platform, while the infrared camera is designed and supplied by Leonardo in Italy, and Viasat provides ground station services. In 2022 SatVu became a supporter of Terra Carta, a sustainable-markets initiative. We did not find a count of UK staff or the location of its office.
One article described the company as a small team of Earth observation and aerospace specialists, though it named only the chief executive. There was no culture or values page that we could read. Its work is a mix of space engineering and data: the satellites are one part, and the pictures and measurements they produce, delivered to customers, are the other.
Teams at a company like this include satellite engineers who manage the spacecraft and its suppliers, image processing and data scientists who turn raw infrared pictures into maps and measurements, software developers, product and customer specialists who work out what buildings, energy and security customers need, and operations and finance staff. Physics, maths, geography, computing and engineering all lead toward this kind of job, and the company's emphasis on climate may appeal to people who want to use space for environmental work.
Website: www.satellitevu.com
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