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  • News

    115 entries

    • UK Space Agency Space Sustainability Video Update

      Published: 30 June 2024
      The UK Space Agency has recently updated our Space Sustainability video to showcase our varied portfolio of work.  

      This involved visits to the Satellite Applications Catapult IOSM Test Facility at Westcott to film the facilities there which are being upgraded thanks to £2m of UK Space Agency funding, and also to Southbank International School to present to students doing a project on Space Sustainability, and seek the views of the next generation.

      The new version of the video will be shown in public for the first time at the Summit for Space Sustainability in Tokyo, before being made available on social media.
      Watch the new video Version with captions  
       
       
       
       
       
      Engagement and events

    • UK’s First In-Orbit Servicing & Manufacturing (IOSM) Conference

      Published: June 30 2024
       

      The inaugural UK IOSM conference, co-hosted by the UK Space Agency and Satellite Applications Catapult, took place on 8-9 May 2024.
      Nearly 300 national and international delegates gathered on the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire to discuss the present and future of IOSM within the UK, Europe and beyond.
      Day 1 started with welcomes from the CEO of the UK Space Agency, Paul Bate, and COO of the Satellite Applications Catapult, Lucy Edge, followed by plenary sessions on national IOSM capabilities, investments and opportunities, global perspectives and challenges, and end-to-end space sustainability.  There were also SME pitches, exhibitors, and an evening networking reception.


      On Day 2 the conference split into three streams, for panel sessions on Technology; Applications; and Regulation, Skills & Investment. Discussions covered diverse topics such as ADR, artificial intelligence and robotics, manufacturing, refuelling and in-orbit servicing, funding innovations, the future workforce, and licensing of IOSM activities.
      Several key announcements were made at the conference, including an Invitation to Tender (ITT) for phase 2 of a potential national ADR mission, calls for studies into the opportunities and value of the IOSM market, and gap analysis to produce an IOSM technology roadmap.  The successful bidder for the Atmospheric Ablation study call was also announced.  See below for more information on all these announcements.


      Feedback regarding the conference was very positive and plans are already in motion for the second conference in 2025.
      Read media article
      Engagement and events

    • Space Security

      Published: 30 April 2024
      The UK Space Security Team are working in collaboration with ESA on a range of projects covering Space Weather, Space Debris and Planetary Defence. This includes the CleanSpace initiative, Active Debris Removal In Orbit Servicing (ADRIOS), Hera asteroid deflection, the Zero Debris Charter, and more.
      Collaboration

    • 42nd Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC)

      Published: 30 April 2024
      The 42nd IADC took place in Bengaluru, India on 16-19 April 2024. 
      The UK delegation consisted of representatives from the UK Space Agency, CAA and the University of Southampton, and was led by Andrew Ratcliffe (Chief Engineer, UK Space Agency). 
       
      This Annual Meeting was hosted by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and saw 94 delegates come together to cooperate across the following four working groups:
      WG1 – Measurements WG2 – Environment & Database WG3 – Protection WG4 – Mitigation The IADC consists of 13 space agencies and brings together global experts to perform collaborative research on topics ranging from advanced spacecraft shielding to forecasting the evolution of the space environment.
      Key reflections, discussions and outputs from the week:
      Space Safety and Sustainability continues to be a key priority for all the member agencies with the heads of many of the agencies, including the UK, now directly involved and championing sustainability initiatives. This is great to see and creates the environment to promote change. The IADC now annually releases its Report on the Status of the Space Debris Environment. This is a key publication which provides insight into the current environment, including the growth in launch traffic and compliance levels with the mitigation guidelines, but also includes forecasts on the predicted changes to the environment. All delegations re-emphasised their support for the activity and highlighted the report as a key product to inform the global community on the status and sustainability of the space environment. The IADC confirmed intent to update their Terms of Reference which will now include a new membership status - an Associate Member of the committee. This is part of an agreed objective by the committee to improve outreach and enable engagement with a broader set of space agencies who are developing capabilities in space debris research.  The UK was well represented across all the working groups, helping steer the conversation and identifying new opportunities for collaborative research
      Engagement and events

    • 2023/24 Engagement Activities

      Published: 30 April 2024

      4 Major Events Delivered
      ~24,000 People Reached

      >10 Media Interviews
      Magazines, TV, Radio, Podcasts

      20 Schools, ~12,000 Students
      6 BBC Young Reporters

      Spreading the Space Sustainability message.
       
      Hosted Sustainability Luncheon at Space Symposium (Apr 2023) Sponsored Summit for Space Sustainability (Jun 2023) Hosted Global Symposium on Space Sustainability ahead of Astra Carta launch (Jun 2023) Exhibited at New Scientist Live with Astroscale, ClearSpace and AstroAgency (Oct 2023)

      UK's First In Orbit Service & Manufacturing (IOSM) Conference, Harwell, 8-9 May 2024
      UK Space Agency is co-hosting with the Satellite Applications Catapult
      SOLD OUT!
      Engagement and events
    •   

      Orbit Fab Visit

      Published: 30 April 2024
      On the way home from the Space Symposium in Colorado in April, UK Space Agency personnel, including Paul Bate and Julie Black, joined colleagues from STFC, DBT, UK MoD and others to talk about Orbit Fab’s UK expansion plans.  
      Orbit Fab is one of four companies conducting a UK Space Agency-funded feasibility study into in-orbit refuelling and CEO, Jacob Greer, was formerly Chief of Staff for the Agency.
      Read Jacob’s post about the visit Visit Orbit Fab’s website
      Collaboration

    • International Collaboration

      Published: 30 April 2024
      During 2023/24, the UK demonstrated thought leadership through collaboration to develop standards, regulations, norms of behaviour, agreements and best practices that influence and define the in-orbit regime of the future. The UK Space Agency worked with international space partners at UN and working-group levels, where our influential role helped drive forward the agenda on key issues facing space:
      Taking a leading role at the Long Term Sustainability (LTS) Guidelines Working Group at the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and funding related important capacity building work. Funded a UN project relating to the registration of space objects. Through this project, a two-day in-person expert event took place in May 2023 where national representatives from 35 countries took part.
      Regulations

    • Zero Debris Charter (ZDC)

      Launched by ESA in November, the ZDC aims to achieve Zero Debris by 2030.  The UK Space Agency welcomes the charter and is considering our position and evaluating effects on the industry.
      Read an Overview Download the Charter
      Standards
    •   

      National Space Operations Centre (NSpOC)

      Published: 30 April 2024
      The UK Space Agency and MoD will soon be launching a National Space Operations Centre (NSpOC) which will combine and coordinate civilian and military SDA capabilities to enable operations and protect UK interests from space-related threats, risks and hazards.  Watch this space for more information.
      Collaboration

    • Standards Development

      Published: 30 April 2024
      The UK Space Agency has invested in development of Space Sustainability Standards through the industry-led Earth & Space Sustainability Initiative (ESSI). The first two will be delivered soon.
      ESSI Website
      Standards

    • Regulations Consultation Issued

      Published: 14 September 2023
      The UK Space Agency has issued a consultation on Orbital Liabilities, Insurance, Charging and Space Sustainability which looked at incentivising the adoption of more sustainable missions through variable liability limits and licence fees, as well as wider UK space sustainability actions. 
      Read Press Release
      Regulations
    •   

      Atmospheric Ablation Study

      Published: 30 April 2024
      The UK Space Agency recently launched a study call to assess the potential impact of satellites burning up in Earth’s atmosphere (atmospheric ablation). The successful bidder will be announced very soon.
      Read the Study Call Notice Flex development process.pdf
      Engagement and events
    •   

      IOSM Test Facility Upgrade

      Published: 30 April 2024
      The UK Space Agency has invested £2M in upgrades to the Satellite Applications Catapult In-Orbit Servicing and Manufacturing (IOSM) Test Facility at Westcott to support our national ADR mission and the wider UK space sector. The facility will provide unique capabilities in the UK where companies can verify, validate and demonstrate a range of in-orbit operations, including manufacturing, servicing, inspection, repair and assembly.
      Read More
      Engagement and events
    •   

      Refuelling Studies

      Published: 9 February 2024
      Four feasibility studies totalling £2M, designed to complement our national ADR mission, were recently launched.  These are led by Astroscale, Clear Space, Orbit Fab and Thales Alenia Space and are all due to complete later this year.
      Read Press Release
      General space news

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