New funding from the UK Space Agency is backing new space technology that will help satellites measure our changing shorelines, estimate levels of biomass, predict weather forecasts, and manufacture medicines in space.
The £1.8m injection, divided across nine individual projects, rounds off the final phase of the Enabling Technologies Programme (ETP). This is designed to give a boost to British organisations with promising technologies to support the delivery of sustainability in space.
The funding is being announced on the opening day of the UK’s first In-Orbit Servicing and Manufacturing (IOSM) conference on the Harwell Science Campus.
How IOSM supports space sustainability
IOSM is a crucial emerging technology that supports space sustainability by enabling spacecraft to be repaired and adjusted during flight.
It also opens new possibilities for building products that we need on Earth, such as semiconductors, much more efficiently in the microgravity environment.
The conference is an opportunity for the UK sector to showcase initiatives that are making space activity more sustainable.
The UK Space Agency will launch a new package of IOSM initiatives, including a funding call for the next phase of the UK’s national Active Debris Removal (ADR) mission, to derisk technologies developed in two mission studies led by Astroscale and ClearSpace.
Enabling Technologies Programme
The ETP projects announced today include work by the University of Derby to develop a material bonding method for use in the space environment, which could help assemble large space structures in orbit.
Another by Messium will enhance algorithms and imagery required to estimate quantities of above-ground organic matter, with a particular focus on wheat.
Another by the University of Northumbria will develop a personalised tourniquet system for astronaut blood flow exercises, while Frontier Space Technologies will take the next step in creating its SpaceLab, a miniature ‘lab in a box’ capable of manufacturing high-value pharmaceuticals and science materials.
Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said: “From using satellite observations to gain a clearer picture of the way our planet is changing to using the in-orbit environment itself to develop vital tech products more efficiently, space sustainability is central to how we can plan for a safe future on Earth.”
Launched in September 2022 in partnership with the UKRI Science and Technology Facilities Council, the £8.6m programme has already supported 41 emerging and disruptive technologies that will drive growth in the UK space sector.
A full list of the projects can be found here.
