SEA of Britain will supply the instrument control unit for one of the sensors aboard Europe’s EarthCARE Earth observation mission under a contract with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) of Britain valued at 3.5 million pounds ($4.5 million), Somerset, England-based SEA announced July 22.

Under the contract, SEA will supply the instrument control system for EarthCARE’s Multi-Spectral Imager, for which SSTL is prime contractor. The imager will collect data on cloud and aerosol concentrations. EarthCARE, a joint mission between the European and Japanese space agencies, is scheduled for launch in 2013.

“We are delighted to have secured this significant contract, said Andrew Thomis, chief executive of Cohort plc, which owns SEA. “We continue to grow in the space market.”