The Space Academic Network aims to act as a community forum representing UK space science, engineering and technology, exploration and environmental/Earth Observation and space related academic research communities.
SPAN Town Halls
We bring the community together to engage, share and communicate updates.
SPAN Working Group Meetings
SPAN has created working groups to provide a forum for in-depth discussion of topics relevant to focussed groups in the community.
Please contact info@span.ac.uk to join one of the working groups.
SPAN Board
Membership of the SPAN board is outlined in the Terms of Reference for SPAN. Refer to our Members page for the attendees of the Board meetings.
Please contact us if you wish to attend a meeting.
| SPAN Working Group | Q1 | Q2/3 | Q4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPAN Townhall | Friday 31 January 11:00 – 13:00 | Friday 16 May 11:00 – 13:00 | Tuesday 18 November 10:00 – 11:30 |
| SPAN Engineering and Technology WG (SETWG) | Thursday 13 February 14:00 – 16:00 | Tues 10 June 14:00-16:00 | Tuesday 14 October 10:00 – 12:00 |
| SPAN Data and Analysis WG (SDAWG) | Monday 3 March 10:00 – 12:00 | Thursday 3 July 10:00 – 12:00 | Monday 24 November 10:30 – 12:30 |
| SPAN Earth Observation WG (SEOWG) | Monday 10 March 10:00 – 12:00 | Monday 16 June 10:00 – 12:00 | Monday 8 September 12:30 – 16:30 (Hybrid) SPAN EO meeting and DSIT Capability EO and Space Data workshop Monday 1 December 12:00 – 16:00 Joint SPAN and UKspace EO Committee Meeting (hybrid) |
| SPAN Science and Exploration WG (SSEWG) | Monday 17 March 10:00 – 12:00 | Friday 4 July 10:00 – 12:00 | Monday 17 November 10:30 – 12:30 |
| SPAN Space and Society WG (SSSWG) | Tuesday 18 February 10:30 – 12:30 | Monday 19 May 10:00 – 12:00 | Thursday 18 September 14:00 – 16:00 |
| SPAN Board Meeting | Friday 17 October 10:30 – 12:00 |
SPAN Space and Society WG (SSSWG) – Reading Group Meeting
2024 Meetings
SPAN held the following meetings in 2024
| SPAN Working Group | Q1 | Q2/3 | Q4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPAN Townhall | Monday 29 Jan 11:00 – 12:00 | Tuesday 23 Apr 10:30 – 12:30 | Tuesday 8 Oct 14:30 – 16:30 |
| SPAN Engineering and Technology WG (SETWG) | Tuesday 20 Feb 10:00 – 12:00 | Tuesday 18 Jun 10:00 – 12:00 | Tuesday 22 Oct 10:00 -12:00 |
| SPAN Data and Analysis WG (SDAWG) | Tuesday 26 Mar 15.30 – 17:30 | Monday 22 Jul 10:30 – 12:30 | Friday 29 Nov 10.30 – 12:30 |
| SPAN Earth Observation WG (SEOWG) | Monday 19 Aug 11:00 – 13:00 | Monday 16 Dec 10:00 – 12:00 | |
| SPAN Science and Exploration WG (SSEWG) | Thursday 21 Mar 11:00 – 13:00 | Monday 1 Jul 09:30 – 11:30 | Friday 11 Oct 10:30 – 12:30 |
| SPAN Space and Society WG (SSSWG) | Tuesday 12 Mar 14:00 – 16:00 | Monday 29 Jul 14:00 – 16:00 | Monday 25 Nov 10:00 – 12:00 |
| SPAN Board Meeting | Tuesday 23 Apr 14:00 – 16:00 |
03 December 2025
The UK Space Agency has today announced the recipients of the National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP). We extend our warmest congratulations to the academic and industry teams whose projects have been selected for support.
26 November 2025
Thank you to everyone who joined our November SPAN Town Hall. Below is a brief overview of the key updates shared across the community.
28 October 2025
We’re pleased to announce that our SPAN Whitepaper, Bridging the Gap Between Industry and Academia – led by Anushka Sharma and Professor Mark Sims (University of Leicester / SPAN), is now available to read. The paper sets out practical ways to deepen collaboration across the UK space ecosystem, including: Co-design from day zero with early academic […]
