The UK is a world leader in producing small satellites and a pioneer in using space data to improve everyday life and help us understand our planet better. Although the UK may not boast facilities like NASA and is not launching rockets to the moon, the space sector is growing rapidly. In 2019/2020, UK space-related organisations brought in an income of £16.5 billion. Let’s look at some of the exciting opportunities and projects contributing to the UK space sector and some of their developments.
SPRINT is a unique partnership that connects the UK’s top space universities with small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and space companies needing academic expertise. The project aims to drive the UK space sector forward while helping companies grow and become more sustainable. Some of the exciting projects the group has invested in look to solve global problems, such as using plasma technologies developed for space propulsion and human space to improve the biological safety margin of the hospital environment by focusing on factors like air and water. Another example is using Earth Observation technologies and data to look for more climate-resilient agriculture for nature-based solutions when it comes to land management. SPRINT creates exciting collaborations and opportunities for the UK space sector to push the industry forward.
Cornwall is a hot spot in the UK space sector. With its manufacturing scene and historic ties to the space industry, the Cornwall Space Cluster is set to be where innovations in engineering, technology, and manufacturing converge. Piran Composites have recently opened a site at the Aerohub next to Cornwall Airport Newquay, where they won’t just increase their operations in aerospace but also bring investment into the industry’s infrastructure. To date, they have manufactured key aerostructure sections of the PHASA-35–an unmanned, solar-powered pseudo-satellite, and are working on the next stage of development. But there are also a number of Cornwall-based businesses that are doing their bit to contribute to localising the UK’s space supply chain.
One example is Exobotics, a start-up based in Cornwall and Cambridge that looks to enable low-cost space flight missions to the moon and beyond by tapping into the latest advancements in robotics, materials, structures, and AI. They have created the world’s first low-cost, portable thermal vacuum testing system, revolutionising access to space by helping reduce space operations costs.
Flann Microwave is another company in the area that seeks to manufacture satellite components and launch them from the UK. Flann’s engineers have worked with companies such as NASA and the Met Office to offer solutions to waveguide problems for space, telecoms, and other sectors. One trend to keep an eye on is the demand for high-speed data services pushing the satellite industry. Traditional large satellites are making way for nanosatellites and CubeSats, which can weigh as little as 1.4kg.
They can be launched in clusters of up to 100 satellites at a time or as additional payloads on larger missions. Still, one exciting development is the new class of vertical and horizontal space launch systems being developed in both Cornwall and Scotland. More than 350 of these satellites were launched in 2018.
The sites and collaborations in Cornwall will usher in a new era of space exploration in the UK, focusing on making space more accessible and its launches more sustainable, thanks to small satellites, reusable rockets, and commercial space exploration subsystems.
Scotland also has a thriving space sector, but one of the interesting facets of its missions is its sustainable space roadmap to achieve the long-term goals of Scottish space missions and to get Scotland global recognition as a sustainability leader in space. The mission of the Scottish Space Strategy, an initiative by Space Scotland, is to minimise space debris and promote zero emissions from on-the-ground activities. As the Scottish Space Strategy plans to develop a network of launch sites, it will also pursue green technologies and build on its existing research and data analysis strengths.
Scotland has big ambitions for the space sector, as it wants to establish a range of managed launch and orbital services to help support the largest launch capability in Europe and develop a world-leading environment strategy for Scotland’s space industry. Scotland aims to become Europe’s leading space nation by taking a £4 billion share of the global space market and creating 20,000 jobs by 2030.
Net Zero is a topic that permeates all industries, from agriculture to space. One ambitious UK-based project is the Space Energy Initiative, which can help the UK decarbonise the economy by 2050. Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) could be a solution allowing the UK to reach its Net Zero goals with a new and abundant sustainable energy source. The idea is that solar energy is harvested in space and beamed to Earth as safe microwaves, which are then collected and converted into electricity that the Grid can use.
The Space Energy Initiative (SEI) brings together research, industry from the energy and space sectors, and government to develop this unique technology. SEI aims to establish the first orbital demonstrator for SBSP by 2030, with the first kind of operational system delivering power by 2040 to the Grid. The first generation of Solar Power Satellites will be operational by the mid-2040s and could help the UK replace its fossil fuel energy generation capacity.
When it comes to giving the UK space industry a boost, education is vital as presenting more opportunities and chances for students to study space-related studies is essential for our future. CranSEDS–Cranfield University’s branch of UKSEDS (UK Students for the Exploration and Development of Space)–is made up of students passionate about Space Exploration. Students in CranSEDS are taking small steps toward their future careers where they could help the UK space sector advance in the future, from rocket-designing competitions to research and knowledge sharing. One exciting project this group of enterprising students are involved in is the Hybrid Rocket Motor and Test Stand, an ongoing research project to develop a 300N hybrid rocket motor using HDPE and N20. The long-term goals of the project are to integrate the hybrid motor into a rocket and move on to the development of liquid engines. Because we believe such projects are the future of the UK space sector, Granter is a proud sponsor of CranSEDS.