Guidance

Summary of Insights to Suppliers and Integrators of Satellite Data and Services

Updated 27 March 2025

Summary of Insights to Suppliers and Integrators of Satellite Data and Services 

Purpose  

Launched in October 2023, the Unlocking Space for Business (USB) programme delivered five key initiatives to support end-user businesses in the financial services (FS) and transport & logistics (T&L) sectors in realising business, operational and environmental benefits through innovative uses of satellite solutions.  

The purpose of this document is to set out:  

• Selected insights from end-user engagement and discussion from key initiatives delivered by the Unlocking Space for Business programme; and 

• Potential opportunity areas for the space supplier ecosystem, validated by participants of the USB supplier events held in Harwell and Leicester in October 2024

Context: Key initiatives delivered by the USB programme 

The programme delivered five key initiatives to support adoption of satellite solutions by end-user businesses: 

1. Information Hub: Access to global insights and case studies, showcasing how businesses around the world are unlocking value from satellite solutions. 

2. Insight and Networking Events: Interactive events bringing together customer and supplier ecosystems to connect and explore business opportunities. 

3. Exploration Workshops: Expert perspectives to help individual businesses identify, prioritise, and plan to capture benefits from satellite solutions. 

4. Learning and Development: Online and in-person learning sessions to enhance business understanding and capabilities in buying, integrating, and exploiting satellite data and services. 

5. Government Funding Opportunities: Government funding to support and de-risk new innovative pilot projects for businesses to deliver tangible benefits.

These initiatives enabled a diverse range of organisations to engage and benefit from the programme, which has allowed the programme to gather insights into the barriers and opportunities for the UK space sector in reaching new markets: 

• 350 unique organisations participated in the programme, including 160 ‘non-space’ businesses and 35 publicly listed companies. 

• 8 in-person USB events were held, in addition to over 10 roundtables and presentations facilitated by industry trade bodies showcasing use cases and business opportunities from satellite solutions.   

• 27 businesses engaged through 42 tailored Exploration Workshops, providing personalised 1:1 insights and support on potential opportunities. 

• Over £5m of funding was awarded to new satellite solutions projects, 15 of which were focused on the financial services sector and 8 on the transport & logistics sector. These funded projects covered a range of business challenges and opportunities, including:  

  • Climate risk, resilience and event response 

  • Environmentally sustainable business opportunities and compliance 

  • Smart asset monitoring and optimisation 

  • Connected transport services  

  • Human activity monitoring

Selected insights from end-user engagement and discussion throughout the 18-month programme 

Through extensive USB programme engagement with end-user businesses in financial services and transport & logistics, five common themes emerged. End-users perceived that these themes limited their business from capitalising fully on the potential use cases offered by satellite solutions: 

1. Understanding of satellite propositions remains low amongst many end-user organisations: Several end-user businesses that engaged with the USB programme were in the early stages of their satellite solution adoption journey, meaning targeted outreach by the programme was critical to drive their interest, and initial engagement often needed to focus on broad awareness-raising to overcome prevalent misconceptions. 

2. Quantified evidence of ‘return on investment’ (ROI) from satellite propositions is not readily available in many instances across the public domain: Whilst most of the 300 publicly available case studies the programme collected to support end user engagement and Exploration Workshops highlighted positive business impacts, the majority did not clearly cite a quantified scale of benefit. Clarity of solution costing, and cost-to-benefit was also challenging to find, particularly for satellite insight products. 

3. Navigating the supplier ecosystem and assessing potential partners was seen as challenging for end-users: Although the growth of the space supplier ecosystem offers a wider breadth of solution options, the landscape can appear complex to end-user businesses. This is particularly when attempting to navigate, compare and assess available options. 

4. Uncertainty whether satellite propositions can overcome the business hurdles required to fully support commercial and regulatory-driven use cases: Beyond the attractiveness of the use case concept, suppliers of new data and technology propositions face scrutiny before they are trusted to underpin critical business activities, particularly when considered a lesser-known, or small to medium enterprise (SME). Concerns include issues related to risk management, robust procurement evaluation, independent verification, scalability and the ability to effectively benchmark. 

5. End-users are seeking to resolve foundational data and technology challenges before prioritising new innovative use-case driven solutions: Addressing legacy technology issues, defining new reporting frameworks and establishing a clear data strategy were often seen as prerequisites for exploiting innovative solutions. Additionally, concerns over end-user intellectual property create further barriers to collaboration in developing innovative data propositions.

Insights theme 1: Understanding of satellite propositions remains low amongst end-user organisations  

Supporting evidence:

Many of the end-users engaged through the USB programme were early in their satellite data adoption journey. For example, of the 27 organisations that completed USB exploration workshops: 

• 22% were entirely new to the concept of space solutions 

• 67% were early explorers of space solutions, having recently started engaging with the supplier ecosystem or conducted an initial proof of concept (PoC) 

• 11% considered themselves an operational user with established contracts or multiple PoCs being run 

Some end-users that engaged with the programme expressed initial apprehension, described by one as being ‘scared of space’, typically due to misconceptions and limited understanding of the applications and the relevance to their industry. These hesitations reflected the way in which the USB programme had to operate to attract target end-user businesses — of the end-user organisations that completed exploration workshops, a quarter were drawn to the programme from online marketing efforts, while the remaining three quarters were attracted by the direct and proactive engagement that the programme undertook.

One of the key levers the programme used to help organisations overcome initial scepticism of satellite solutions was the collection and use of over 300 publicly available case studies, showcasing well-known companies across the world that had shared information on their deployment of satellite solutions. Based on the priorities or problem statements that end-users shared with the programme, these case studies brought to life examples of how other companies were tackling similar themes to inspire relevant learnings, new ideas and also confidence in the potential capabilities of satellite solutions. These case studies covered the range of sub-sectors in focus, including insurance, asset management, banking, maritime, land-based supply chains, rail and more, and were received well, helping to activate interest from end-user organisations. 

Further evidence of this theme included end-user feedback following some of the USB events that supplier pitches and demos were found to often be ‘too technical’ and contain too much space sector ‘jargon’, that didn’t translate easily across to the end-user sector and so diluted their potential impact.

Potential opportunity areas for the space supplier ecosystem, validated by participants of the USB supplier events held in Harwell and Leicester in October 2024:

• Customer-centric focus: Maintain a consistent feedback loop with customers, regulators and industry experts to understand current market pain points, and direct efforts towards the metrics that make a real commercial impact. 

• Tailored sector-specific outreach: Utilise simplified, sector-specific communications to resonate with potential customers from non-engineering or technical geospatial backgrounds, who are crucial for unlocking large-scale contacts. These stakeholders require proactive and personalised engagement methods. 

• Use of compelling case studies: Increase the public sharing and utilisation of case studies from businesses that clearly link use cases to commercial benefit levers – for example, revenue gains, cost reductions, customer retention or penalties avoided. 

• Expanded visibility of space solutions: Improve the search engine optimisation (SEO) of satellite solutions so they can be easily found by end-user organisations online, and drive greater visibility at non-space events such as financial conferences.

Feedback theme 2: Quantified evidence of ‘return on investment’ (ROI) from satellite propositions is not readily available in many instances across the public domain 

Supporting evidence: 

Whilst most of the 300 publicly available case studies the programme collated (as mentioned previously) highlighted positive business impacts, only 5% contained a clearly identified and quantified ROI. Some end-users that participated in the USB programme perceived the ROI for satellite solutions to be unclear or insufficient, and therefore a barrier preventing them from forming a business case. This was particularly the case for several large organisations that described themselves as ‘fast followers’ rather than ‘leading innovators’ and would comment that if the ROI didn’t appear big enough, or was too much effort to get an answer, other things would then get prioritised. 

For financial services organisations that engaged the programme, a notable theme was their interest in how space solutions could support their ability to address potential environmental obligations, threats and opportunities. However, some organisations indicated that many of the environmental considerations were not yet mandatorily required, reducing the likelihood of significant investment in satellite solutions unless also accompanied by a clear commercial driver (e.g. strengthening a sustainability-friendly lending product). 

Another point raised was that, in some instances, the scope of the business’s use case versus the implicated cost of the satellite solution appeared disproportionate. Examples the programme found include:

• When the service need is small compared to the minimum purchase required (e.g. needing intelligence on a single site but only able to procure data for a large land area, as for a home insurance assessment), or when connectivity services are required only ‘occasionally’ (e.g. during road connectivity blackspots). 

• When service needs are geographically extensive, rendering the associated costs unreasonable – for instance, accessing global satellite insights for a dispersed portfolio (e.g. developing a global oil and gas site index) or providing ‘always-on’ services (e.g. full ocean coverage of intelligence or connectivity). 

• When demand for similar satellite services is fragmented across various dispersed buyers; for example, multiple parties might benefit from the same data on a single asset, but due to their disconnect or lack of a coherent business model, the data would need to be procured individually several times (as with agricultural land insights sought by farmers, banks, insurers, investors, etc.). 

Additionally, the benefits of satellite solutions were sometimes overstated, as they typically require integration with other data/technology sources or field observations – each with its own financial implications – thereby detracting from the direct benefit attributable to the satellite component. In some cases, alternative data sources or solutions may also better align with a user’s specific requirements, cost constraints, or operational priorities.

Potential opportunity areas for the space supplier ecosystem, validated by participants of the USB supplier events held in Harwell and Leicester in October 2024:

• Encourage greater transparency of quantified ROI:  Emphasise the collection and public sharing of data – for example, at non-space sector events or on social media – on the impacts of satellite solutions on key business metrics, such as revenue growth, cost savings and ESG compliance, to expand the potential market. 

• Showcase impacts of pilot projects: Highlight the tangible results of pilot projects utilising satellite solutions – for example, projects supported by Government – through press releases, published case studies on company websites, and live showcases. 

• Align with target sector regulatory action: Collaborate with regulatory bodies, such as environmental monitoring agencies, to identify emerging opportunity areas, address compliance requirements, and tailor services to meet the evolving needs of your target market.  

• Explore more flexible and transparent pricing models: Continue to assess innovative pricing options to make satellite services more economically viable for diverse use cases and contract scales.

Feedback theme 3: Navigating the supplier ecosystem and assessing potential partners was seen as challenging for end-users:  

Supporting evidence: 

Even once an end-user had identified a priority focus area to pursue, many expressed to the programme that the supplier landscape can be complex or time-consuming to navigate when seeking the right partner – particularly when looking to compare and assess options.  

Feedback indicated that many suppliers appeared to offer similar propositions, and that there was no clear method to evaluate or benchmark their track record or quality. For example, the programme highlighted to some end-users that the Earth observation supplier ecosystem is broken into proprietary data providers, data marketplaces and custom-insight providers – this was seen as helpful to inform partner strategy, however still required significant effort to narrow down specific supplier options against procurement criteria. 

USB engagement with end-user businesses revealed a range of buying considerations during supplier selection, especially when placing significant contracts, although these may be less critical for small proof-of-concept studies. Factors mentioned included: 

• Proposition: Ability to address a meaningful proportion of requirements 

• Track Record: Demonstrated success with other commercial organisations 

• Specialism: Unique value-add compared to other suppliers 

• Brand and credibility: Recognition as a trusted company by decision-makers, customers and shareholders 

• Geographic reach: Capability to serve the full geographic scope of the requirement 

• Financial robustness and longevity: Confidence that the company will operate sustainably over the long term 

• Commercial model and pricing: Perception of value for money in relation to the problem being addressed

Potential opportunity areas for the space supplier ecosystem, validated by participants of the USB supplier events held in Harwell and Leicester in October 2024:

• Clearer market positioning: Provide greater clarity on the supplier’s market positioning and differentiation in terms of proposition, level of service (e.g. data, services, product), sector focus areas, pricing, and track record, to aid end-users in navigating the market and evaluating procurement fit. This could also include technical reviews from Government-funded projects, where applicable. 

• Exploit alternative go-to-market approaches: Access end-users through existing channels and partners, for instance by collaborating with non-space suppliers that already offer data and services to these businesses. 

• Address procurement fit requirements: Consider the criteria described above that end-user businesses and Government customers use in supplier selection and, as an ecosystem, explore collaborative opportunities to better meet these requirements. This may include leveraging Government-backed funding or procurement to support with credibility signals.

Feedback theme 4: Uncertainty whether satellite propositions can overcome the business hurdles required to fully support commercial and regulatory-driven use cases  

Supporting evidence: 

Whilst many satellite propositions appeared highly attractive and generated curiosity, some businesses expressed uncertainty whether these solutions could pass the wide range of assessments needed to take meaningful action. This was particularly evident when a proposition needed to meet an external regulator’s requirements or underpin a commercially critical service for a large customer base. There also appeared to be more scrutiny placed on lesser known or small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). End-users expected suppliers to undergo thorough assessments before being trusted, including: 

• Procurement and risk teams: Can we effectively assess and benchmark pricing and value for money across different suppliers and against other technology options?  

• Business leaders: Can we effectively assess and benchmark performance across different suppliers and against other technology options? Do we get to retain the necessary level of intellectual property we require? Does the solution cover our full portfolio of interest, and is scalable across the organisation? 

• Third parties (e.g. shareholders, auditors, regulators, external partners): Can we effectively assure the quality and trustworthiness of the proposition and supplier? Has the solution been verified by an independent organisation? Is there a contingency plan if something goes wrong?

For several use cases, end-users also indicated that clear comparability or benchmarking across the industry was essential for generating value. The wide range of satellite solution companies and diverse methodologies often made this challenging. Consequently, even when a proposition had high potential value (e.g. a sustainability-focused index), end-users sometimes expressed a preference to wait for standardised approaches from major suppliers rather than invest in developing new methodologies themselves. 

Potential opportunity areas for the space supplier ecosystem, validated by participants of the USB supplier events held in Harwell and Leicester in October 2024:

• Securing proposition trust: Where possible, provide clear information disclosures, audit verifications, service-level agreements (SLAs), technical reviews (e.g. from other Government-funded projects and technical assurance) and service contingencies to build confidence among decision-makers. 

• Support customer evaluation of performance: Utilise easily understood proof metrics to help potential customers certify accuracy and performance, including against alternative options that don’t require satellite solutions. 

• Consideration of broader customer success factors: Maintain a strong focus on what underpins the customer’s business requirements beyond the high-level use case concept – for example, full portfolio coverage, scalability, user experience and intellectual property.

Feedback theme 5: End-users are seeking to resolve foundational data and technology challenges before prioritising innovative use-case driven solutions 

Supporting evidence: 

Many end-user businesses reported to the USB programme that they were either still dealing with technology fragmentation and complexities caused by legacy systems, or were in the midst of new technology transformation programmes involving: 

• Technology architecture design (e.g. migration to cloud-based systems). 

• New data reporting frameworks and systems (e.g. approaches to sustainability data). 

• Data and AI strategy (e.g. determining the organisation’s role within the data ecosystem, whether as a collector, aggregator, insight provider). 

Addressing these organisational challenges to create a ‘steady platform’ was often prioritised ahead of onboarding new satellite solutions for specific use cases. This current state was also seen as a barrier when integrating different third-party data elements. 

Furthermore, barriers to collaboration between end-users and satellite solution suppliers were identified through the USB programme, often related to intellectual property (IP) concerns, including: 

• Reluctance for either party to disclose critical IP, limiting open information sharing for developing collaborative propositions. 

• A preference from end-users for keeping data in-house for quality control purposes, which prevented satellite solution companies from maximising analytical insights and shifts more analytical burden onto end-users. 

• Concerns from end-users that suppliers would exploit the IP of solutions collaboratively developed and commercialise it across competitors. 

• Reluctance by either party to publicise success with satellite solutions – including the quantified ROI impact – for fear that competitors may quickly catch up. 

The increased use of innovative digital and data solutions, such as those derived from satellite solutions, has the potential to disrupt key business models of end-users engaged in the USB programme. This raised some concern about the implications of change, for example: 

• The impact of new data displacing legacy value propositions, such as human expertise.  

• The impact of new data reducing the need for physical customer interactions, for example in-person site visits which are seen as important for businesses to maintain customer stickiness. 

• Uncertainty about the organisation’s role in emerging industry data ecosystems – for instance, whether they should act as data collectors, distributors or value-added service providers. 

• The risks associated with adopting unproven approaches and the potential negative outcomes if things go wrong. 

Finally, end-users often stated that their transformation priorities had already been set before becoming aware of new satellite solutions through the USB programme, and that there would likely be a time lag before action could be taken, given that innovation budgets are typically set 9–12 months in advance.

Potential opportunity areas for the space supplier ecosystem, validated by participants of the USB supplier events held in Harwell and Leicester in October 2024: 

• Alignment with mainstream technology architecture: Continue to optimise the integration of satellite solutions with major technology architecture suppliers, or the current technology or service providers to target end-users, for ease of implementation and to find the path of least resistance.  

• Improved data-sharing agreements: Establish clear and robust data-sharing agreements or platforms that empower users to confidentially obtain what they require without having to disclose their own IP. 

• Clarity of customer-centric benefits: In scenarios where physical customer interactions are reduced by the use of satellite solutions, clearly articulate the new customer value created alongside other business benefits. 

• Alignment with existing transformation priorities: Assess how satellite propositions can be aligned with the transformation priorities already set by the target customer, and with their timelines for securing investment budgets. 

Contact us 

Unlocking Space for Business is a UK Space Agency programme supporting companies to deliver operational, customer and environmental benefits through the use of innovative satellite data and services. 

Contact us to find out more: ​unlockingspaceforbusiness@ukspaceagency.gov.uk​