July has been a very busy month with SPAN Working Group meetings and my trip to Japan as a Space Global Expert as part of an Innovation mission delegation for Innovate UK. I will share more about this in an upcoming post.
The SPAN team were in Farnborough for the International Air Show which had a dedicated Space Zone providing ample opportunities for meeting up with SPAN members, industry peers, Space Command, UK Space Agency, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Business and Trade.
It was my first time at FIA and I wasn’t sure what to expect, the scale of the show itself was remarkable, and I averaged something like 17000 steps each day! The newly established Space Zone was testament to the growth in the sector and it was great to see anchor exhibitors like UK Space Agency alongside ESA, Primes, Clusters and Startups alike.
Alongside the exhibitors there was a dedicated content programme across the weeklong show and we are delighted that SPAN was given a platform on a panel brought together by UKspace.
See below for a summary of the Farnborough Air Show week.
DSIT’s Secretary of State Peter Kyle delivered his first speech at the Farnborough International Air Show on Monday 22 July 2024.
UKSA announce funding for projects, worth £33 million, from the National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) – designed to invest in high-potential technologies, drive innovation and unlock growth across the UK.
The UK Space Agency have announced a joint plan, with the European Space Agency, to build on the success of the European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT), which employs more than 100 people in Harwell.
The joint plan, unveiled during the Farnborough International Airshow, includes strengthening work on the centre’s 5G/6G hub with a focus on satellite telecommunications and the wider applications of satellite services, which already support around £360 billion of UK GDP.
We will explore the potential for a space quantum technologies laboratory and the further development of activities related to in-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing – vital for improving sustainability, prolonging the lifetime of satellites in orbit, and delivering new services to businesses and citizens.
The UK Space Agency has also announced five new projects, worth £2.1 million, to help tackle key skills gaps identified by the UK space industry. The funding will boost the availability of training programmes, courses and other learning interventions that can break down barriers to opportunities within this fast-growing, high-tech sector.
The projects will be led by the universities of Edinburgh, Leicester and Portsmouth, the Royal Institute of Navigation, and Plastron Training, a specialist provider of training services focused on safety in the commercial space sector.
The UK Space Agency and ESA are also running a new call for proposals for the ESA Earth Observation (EO) programme, InCubed2, worth £3 million. Interested UK entities are invited to submit proposals that look to develop innovative and commercially viable products and services that generate or exploit the value of Earth observation imagery and datasets. Deadline for applying 10:59pm BST on 12 September 2024.
One of the highlights of the programme, was hearing from the powerhouse of space science represented on an epic panel with Dr Caroline Harper, Head of Space Science at the UK Space Agency, Dr Nicola Fox, Associate Administrator at NASA, and Prof Carole Mundell, Director of Science at ESA.
Ten cutting-edge teams of innovators, engineers and scientists, that are developing new technologies to provide a permanent crewed base on the Moon with reliable water supplies, have been named finalists in the Aqualunar Challenge.
The Aqualunar Challenge is part of a £1.2 million international prize funded by the UK Space Agency’s International Bilateral Fund and delivered by Challenge Works – experts in designing and running innovation challenge prizes.
The challenge is a collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and Impact Canada. The UK track of the challenge is awarding UK-led finalist teams £30,000 each to develop their technologies, before a winner and runners-up are announced in Spring 2025.
SPAN Co-chair Kate Robson Brown joined a panel “Labour and labour in the Space Sector – a discussion about the new Government’s priorities for the UK’s space sector workforce” she was joined by Dr Louise Butt, Director, Space South Central Enterprise Network Steve Greenland, Managing Director, CraftProspect Ben Shaw, Northeast Space Skills Technology Centre (NESST) and the session was moderated by Stephanie Ayres, UKSpace.
The last day of FIA is public day as well as a chance for young professionals and students interested in Aviation, Aerospace and Defence get to meet and hear from Astronauts, Space Agencies, companies and startups as well as access to all the halls and exhibitors. It was an energetic last day at Farnborough where I caught up with Simon Feast, CEO of British Interplanetary Society who have a calls for papers for the Reinventing Space Conference taking place in London, November this year.
The theme of this year’s conference is ‘The Commercial Revolution’ and will focus on the key benefits and emerging issues presented by the rapidly growing number of space missions and activities driven by increasing commercial activity:
“A significant change in the utilisation of Near-Earth Space is underway, resulting from the launches of very large numbers of commercial satellites. The Reinventing Space Conference in 2024 will focus on the likely implications of this revolution over the next two decades; not only for the manufacturers and operators of the satellites themselves, but also for the legal, logistical, educational, and space surveillance communities which support them”.
The second day, Tuesday 12 November, will incorporate the ‘Beyond The Moon Symposium’, which will explore the “longer-term possibilities, critical challenges and key stepping stones required for the future exploration and development of space”
Abstracts of up to 500 words are invited for submission via abstracts@bis-space.com
Please clearly indicate upon submission, whether you wish to submit your abstract into the main Reinventing Space programme ‘The Commercial Revolution’ or the ‘Beyond the Moon’ Symposium. Selected abstracts may be moved between sessions, subject to the final programme planning.
The call for papers has been extended to midnight on Thursday 8 August 2024.
I had a great catch up with SPAN member Steve Baker from UCL who broke the news that UCL has joined Space South Central to strengthen the space cluster and accelerate collaborative space research and innovation.
I caught up with newly appointed Executive Director of UKspace Colin Baldwin, met reserve Para Astronaut John McFall. Read his story, and got to meet ESA Astronaut Rosemary Coogan and Jessica Gagen who is an Engineer and also currently Miss England.
Great to catch up with Lucy van der Tas, Head of Talent Acquisition, European Space Agency who gave a brilliant talk about what it’s like to work for the European Space Agency and showcasing that ESA recruits aren’t just astronauts.
It was the perfect way to wrap up a very busy week.
The SPAN Project Office looks forward to exploring ways that we can further contribute to the next FIA programme as well as help to increase the platform for our academic and research members working across the SPAN Working Groups and beyond. If you have ideas or would like to help shape future discussions please don’t hesitate to drop me a line.
06 December 2024
The SPAN team attended the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) – UK Community Workshop at The Open University, led by Martin Barstow and Jesper Skottfelt. The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is NASA’s next flagship space astronomy mission, building on the legacy of Hubble, Webb, and Roman, to search for Earth-like planets and potential signs of life. […]
07 October 2024
The Whitepaper, now available from SPAN, covers and I hope reflects academic views on funding gap implications, membership of ESA, need for a strong national and bilateral programmes along with comments on links to industry and some general points.
01 October 2024
Space Science in Context (17–18 October, 2024) is returning for its third year! SSiC is a FREE, cross-disciplinary conference on outer space and society...
