UK businesses, universities and researchers are to get access to more than £62m in government funding to develop homegrown space technologies. The funding, unveiled on Monday at Farnborough International Airshow by space minister Liz Lloyd, will support new satellite communications systems and space innovation projects, helping turn early-stage ideas into
Kirstie Pickering
UK businesses, universities and researchers are to get access to more than £62m in government funding to develop homegrown space technologies.
The funding, unveiled on Monday at Farnborough International Airshow by space minister Liz Lloyd, will support new satellite communications systems and space innovation projects, helping turn early-stage ideas into commercial products.
The government say the investment will strengthen the UK’s ability to monitor and protect assets in orbit, and build a more resilient domestic space sector.
It also says building domestic capability in these areas is vital to strengthen the UK’s national security, economic resilience and ability to act confidently on the world stage.
The £62m investment includes £42m to develop new British satellite communications technologies and £20m to support space innovation projects across industry and universities.
The UK Space Agency’s accelerator programme, which works with new space companies to help them attract investment, develop their technologies and win customers, has supported 289 founders and helped raise more than £102m in investment to date.
“Space is not just a scientific frontier, it is a strategic one,” says Lloyd. “If we do not build national capabilities at home, we become overly dependent on others for technologies we cannot afford to be without.
“This funding will help develop new satellite communications technologies to keep remote communities connected, capture a growing market for on-orbit manufactured products and strengthen our ability to monitor and protect assets in orbit, while supporting the next generation of space innovators turning early-stage ideas into commercial products.”
The Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit (C-LEO) Programme is opening its third funding round to offer the aforementioned £42m to UK businesses, universities and research organisations to develop new satellite communications technologies.
The government says satellite communications are increasingly delivering essential connectivity services to remote regions and are increasingly essential to national resilience.
Projects eligible for funding must focus on one or more of five areas: on-board processing, active antennas, optical links, networking and routing, or user terminals.
This round will bring total C-LEO funding to UK organisations to up to £77m.
