Professor Hui Su, “Global STEM Professor” in HKUST’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and Founder & Chairperson of Stellerus Technology Limited, Interviewed by 21st Century Business Herald

“Once-in-decades rainfall,” “once-in-a-century heatwaves”—in recent years, such extreme weather events have increasingly appeared in public view. Extreme weather has caused severe damage to communities and economies worldwide.

The World Meteorological Organization’s recently released State of the Global Climate 2024 report points out that with rising greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, climate change is accelerating rapidly, causing significant changes within a single generation. The decade from 2015 to 2024 will be the hottest on record, with accelerating glacier melting, sea-level rise, and ocean warming.

Hong Kong is on the front lines of this challenge. According to research teams from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The University of Hong Kong, and HKUST, extreme weather in Hong Kong is expected to become more frequent in the future, with extreme heat and rainfall becoming more common and severe, even evolving into the new normal. The highest hourly rainfall in 2040–2049 could reach 230 mm, over 40% higher than the black rainstorm record in 2023.

Against this backdrop, how to guard against extreme weather hazards has become an increasingly important issue. Driven by this vision, Professor Hui Su founded Stellerus Technology Limited.

Hong Kong Can Build Satellites

HKUST’s first satellite project, “HKUST-FYBB#1,” marks the beginning of Stellerus Tech’s story.

In August 2023, the “HKUST-FYBB#1” high-resolution optical satellite was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu and entered its planned orbit. This was the first satellite launch led by a local Hong Kong university. The satellite’s pixel size is 0.5 meters, currently the highest level in the civilian satellite sector.

The remote sensing data collected by this satellite will be used to monitor surface conditions and simulate landslides and social disaster responses via a “digital twin system.” By learning from historical data and combining it with real-time satellite data, this system improves the accuracy of rainfall and urban flooding forecasts. Early warnings for extreme weather can be extended from 2 hours to 6 hours.

The launch—from internal university discussions to orbit insertion at Jiuquan—took only eight months. Professors Limin Zhang and Hui Su from HKUST’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering were the main leaders of the satellite project, with Professor Su overseeing coordination.

Satellite technology is Professor Su’s expertise. Before joining HKUST in 2022, she worked at NASA for 17 years, focusing on climate change and extreme weather, using AI tools to analyze satellite data for precise weather and climate forecasting. During her time at NASA, she received the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Award twice and was honored with the American Meteorological Society’s Banner I. Miller Award last year for her contributions to improving typhoon forecasts.

Besides providing data for environmental and disaster monitoring in Hong Kong, the satellite’s donors, Yip Chi-hung and Yip Ng Bin-bin, expressed hopes that Professor Su would commercialize the satellite data and reinvest the revenue into Hong Kong’s satellite industry.

“I am very interested in entrepreneurship. Compared to research, entrepreneurship is more challenging. My previous work focused on research, which ended after publishing papers. But if I can turn my research results into products that serve society, that has greater social value than just having my papers cited,” said Professor Su.

One reason for returning to Hong Kong was learning about the city’s strong push for innovation and technology development, providing her the opportunity to use her technology to serve society. “I hope to make a career on this platform.”

Professor Su noted that during the company’s founding, HKUST provided not only space and entrepreneurial guidance but also funding support. The university also offered favorable terms for intellectual property transfer, which created room for the company’s future growth.

Encouraged by the satellite donors and the university, Professor Su and some members of the “HKUST-FYBB#1” project founded Stellerus Technology Limited in November 2023.

Focus on Weather Forecasting and Carbon Monitoring

Stellerus Tech’s core service uses proprietary data from an integrated air-space-ground sensing network and physics-guided AI large models to provide an intelligent climate technology service platform. The integrated remote sensing system has three main modules: satellite remote sensing, drone remote sensing, and ground monitoring.

Co-founder Wei Fan Xu said there is great market demand for disaster management, climate risk management, and carbon management solutions, and Stellerus Tech’s satellite data analysis fills these needs.

Since clean energy generation and utilization, such as solar and wind power, strongly depend on location and natural environment, and weather variability causes instability and intermittency impacting power system safety and stability, Stellerus Tech analyzes remote sensing satellite data to accurately forecast wind and solar energy, improving clean energy utilization. For example, optical satellites can precisely observe cloud changes; through Stellerus Tech’s models, they analyze sky conditions to estimate solar panel energy output in real time, helping integrate clean and traditional energy sources.

Professor Su also emphasized that Stellerus Tech is actively exploring carbon emission monitoring. HKUST and Stellerus Tech’s R&D team collaborate with the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, to develop a lightweight, high-precision carbon detector with innovative methane monitoring capabilities. Methane is the second-largest anthropogenic greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, accounting for about 20% of global emissions. Stellerus Tech’s technology is internationally leading.

The team plans to deploy the carbon detector on China’s “Tiangong” space station in late 2025 or early 2026. Using 100-meter resolution carbon concentration measurements and advanced CO2 and methane flux inversion algorithms, they will generate high-resolution maps of carbon dioxide and methane concentrations and emissions, identify emission hotspots, and create digital twins of carbon emissions.

Based on this, Stellerus Tech will provide reliable and robust MRV (monitoring, reporting, and verification) systems for industries with high carbon intensity, such as power plants. Besides carbon emission monitoring, Stellerus Tech can also use remote sensing data to monitor forestry carbon absorption.

Professor Su said by quantifying carbon absorption data, the system can estimate carbon sinks created by forests, providing foundational services for future carbon trading markets.

Hong Kong Reach to Global Stage

Currently, Stellerus Tech’s clients are mainly infrastructure-related, including local clients such as Hong Kong’s Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and MTR Corporation. The company is also expanding into Mainland China and overseas markets, especially public and private institutions in countries along the Belt and Road Initiative.

For many developing countries, although their aerospace sectors are in early stages, they have their own space ambitions. Saudi Arabia is one of the most active countries, launching astronaut training and spaceflight programs and advancing its “Saudi Vision 2030,” demonstrating determination to accelerate aerospace development through participation in space-related scientific experiments and international research.

“When we followed the Hong Kong Science Park delegation to Saudi Arabia, we learned there is significant demand for disaster management. We see many cooperation opportunities there,” said Professor Su.

Currently, Stellerus Tech is negotiating with the Saudi government on cooperation. The company may provide satellite design solutions and engineering management, including hardware design and data applications, to help Saudi Arabia enhance its meteorological satellite data capabilities.

Stellerus Tech is still in its early stages but has established close partnerships with multiple aerospace companies to jointly expand satellite data application markets. Professor Su said the company needs more satellites in the future to form a multimodal satellite constellation to improve monitoring coverage in time and space.

Regarding future business development, Professor Su said Stellerus Tech plans to develop simultaneously in Mainland China and overseas markets, fully leveraging Hong Kong’s unique position connecting the motherland and the world. The company is considering setting up R&D and operation centers in Mainland cities to collaborate with upstream and downstream satellite industry enterprises on developing key payloads and expanding the Mainland market. Overseas, Stellerus Tech has established solution distribution systems with local partners in Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and other countries, jointly operating overseas markets and preparing to expand this model to other Belt and Road countries and regions.

Source: 21st Century Business Herald