Welcome to the case study section of the SPAN website. Our members have written case studies highlighting the successes and challenges of Space missions. The aim is to inspire, inform, or explain why Space missions are so valuable to our society.
PTOLEMY is an evolved gas analyser, which obtains accurate measurements of isotopic ratios of light elements. It was one of ten instruments on the Philea lander of the Rosetta Mission to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Authors: Piece adapted from STFC Food network post with review by Dr Geraint Morgan
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A description of UK involvement in the ESA, NASA, and Italian Space Agency mission, highlighting some of the challenges, discoveries and successes. Author: Professor David Southwood CBE
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This case study outlines the benefits of UK involvement in the Solar Orbiter mission prior to launch. Author: Paul Eccleston
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A Case Study of Satellite Quantum Key Distribution and Space Quantum Technologies
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The case studies were prepared for the UK Space Agency to support the business case for future investments in the European Space Agency. The funding for the case studies was awarded under the direction of the National Space Partnership whilst operating a pilot programme from January 2022 to March 2022.
Read Publication28 October 2025
We’re pleased to announce that our SPAN White Paper, Bridging the Gap Between Industry and Academia – led by Anushka Sharma and Professor Mark Sims (University of Leicester / SPAN), is now available to read.
01 August 2025
🚀 That’s a wrap on the UK Space Conference 2025 — what a jam-packed week it has been for the SPAN Project Office as we've been working out of Manchester this whole week!
31 July 2025
Key updates from the UK Space Agency’s ESA Policy & Operations (EOP) Team, along with a personal message to the community from Professor Carole Mundell, ESA’s Director of Science.
