{"id":7967,"date":"2023-11-23T21:36:18","date_gmt":"2023-11-23T13:36:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/uk-space-agency-announces-funding-for-23-ground-breaking-space-technology-projects\/"},"modified":"2023-11-23T21:36:18","modified_gmt":"2023-11-23T13:36:18","slug":"uk-space-agency-announces-funding-for-23-ground-breaking-space-technology-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/uk-space-agency-announces-funding-for-23-ground-breaking-space-technology-projects\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Space Agency Announces Funding for 23 Ground-Breaking Space Technology Projects"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.satnow.com\/news\/uk_C_638363344206486779.jpg\" width=\"712\" height=\"377\" alt=\"UK Space Agency Announces Funding for 23 Ground-Breaking Space Technology Projects\" class=\"imageload removeImageattr\" data-original=\"https:\/\/cdn.satnow.com\/news\/uk_C_638363344206486779.jpg\" style=\"opacity: 0;\"><meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/cdn.satnow.com\/news\/uk_C_638363344206486779.jpg\"><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"712\"><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"377\"><\/p>\n<p>The <strong>UK Space Agency<\/strong> has announced 23 innovative and inventive projects that could boost UK leadership in new space technologies and applications around the world.<\/p>\n<p>The Enabling Technologies Program (ETP) provides opportunities for the UK space sector to accelerate the development of leading-edge technologies that could be used to tackle global problems and benefit the work of space organizations. internationally. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The total government funding is \u00a34 million &#8211; made up of \u00a33.2 million from the UK Space Agency with \u00a3800,000 contributed by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The projects from academia and industry explore how space can be used more efficiently for purposes such as weather prediction, climate-change monitoring, and space debris removal through methods of propulsion, sterilization, in-orbit servicing, imaging, and more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dr. Paul Bate<\/strong>, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said: Space science and technology has never been more important to life on Earth. The Enabling Technologies Program demonstrates how our work at the UK Space Agency is empowering scientists and engineers in universities, companies, and research institutes to develop new capabilities and advance the technologies of tomorrow. From the use of space data for weather prediction and flood monitoring to new methods of propulsion and in-orbit servicing, these new projects are great examples of how we can harness the power of space to protect our planet and people.<\/p>\n<p>One project from the University of Glasgow explores how a spacecraft can consume its own body as fuel \u2013 to support scalable, cost-effective low-Earth orbit access.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the University of Bristol looks at the use of data from the UK-backed Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, targeting an order of magnitude improvement in accuracy for global flood modeling. &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Another, run by Oxford Dynamics looks at how a long-range radar system could detect objects in low Earth orbit to support space debris mitigation operations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Professor <strong>Grahame Blair<\/strong>, STFC Executive Director, Programmes, said: We are living through an incredibly exciting time for the UK space industry. Thanks to initiatives such as the Enabling Technologies Program, our space scientists are continually pushing the frontiers of Earth observation, satellite communications, and even manned space exploration, with untold benefits to society. STFC is proud to partner with the UK Space Agency to support the UK space science community and help solidify the UK\u2019s position as a world leader in the space economy.<\/p>\n<p>Support from the ETP fund is key to addressing project barriers in research and development, bringing high-value space technologies to market that can create jobs and benefit people, businesses, and communities for generations to come.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Projects<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>University of Southampton (\u00a3201,000) \u2013 Development of a sterilisation method using non-thermal plasma to support human spaceflight and exploration.<\/li>\n<li>University of Southampton (\u00a3102,000) \u2013 Development of Raman-spectroscopy (which uses scattered light to measure vibrational energy of samples) for detecting low-level biosignatures (substances that provide evidence of life), which will particularly support the exploration of icy worlds, including the Moon and Mars.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics, UK (\u00a3240,000) \u2013 Development of a low SWaP light detection and ranging method (LiDAR) instrument that can be mounted onto unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to support Earth observation. &nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics, UK (\u00a3247,000) \u2013 Development of low-cost, room temperature photon counting detectors that can be used in imaging, sensing, and optical communications.<\/li>\n<li>University of Manchester (\u00a3190,000) \u2013 Development of alternative motion techniques that expand the range and operating capabilities for extra-terrestrial robotics, supporting future rover and exploration missions.<\/li>\n<li>Imperial College London (\u00a3144,000) \u2013 Development of a new approach for magnetometer systems that reduces the need for booms on a spacecraft, helping to lower the cost of space science missions.<\/li>\n<li>MDA Space and Robotics (\u00a3147,000)\u2013 Development of a novel laser sensor to make complex, vision-based missions possible in poor illumination conditions.<\/li>\n<li>RAL Space (\u00a3233,000) \u2013 Development of a highly stabilized laser that can be used in low Earth orbit to support space weather measurement.?&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>MDA Space and Robotics UK (\u00a3141,000) \u2013 Development of short-range, rotating LiDAR, more efficient in terms of size, weight, and power, that can be used in planetary surface robotics.<\/li>\n<li>Surrey Space Centre, University of Surrey (\u00a3250,000) \u2013 Development of a detector for high energy particles that can be used in solar or cosmic ray missions and to enhance space weather predictions.<\/li>\n<li>University of Birmingham (\u00a3250,000) \u2013 Development of a new operational and technical capability to assess the state and condition of satellites from orbit using sub-THz radar imagery, supporting in-orbit service capabilities.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>University of Leicester (\u00a3183,000) \u2013 Development of sample return instrument boxes and portable sample containers to support rover and sample return missions.<\/li>\n<li>Durham University (\u00a3159,000) \u2013 Development of a solar polarimeter (an optical instrument used to determine polarization of light samples) that can be wavelength-tuned to measure the solar magnetic field over several hundred kilometers depth within the second layer of the Sun\u2019s atmosphere.<\/li>\n<li>University of Hertfordshire (\u00a3100,000) \u2013 Project to substantially increase the dynamic range of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) imaging sensors to support astronomy, in collaboration with XCAM and the Open University.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>University of Glasgow (\u00a3250,000) \u2013 Additive manufacturing material and process testing in a simulated space environment, enabling rapid, sustainable, and cost-effective component qualification.<\/li>\n<li>University of Glasgow (\u00a3290,000) \u2013 Pilot scale testing of an autophage (self-consuming) propulsion system \u2013 whereby the spacecraft consumes its own body as fuel \u2013 which supports scalable, cost-effective low Earth orbit access.<\/li>\n<li>Teer Coatings Ltd (\u00a3124,000) \u2013 Development of a novel bimetallic doped, thin-film MoS2 solid lubricant with a long lifetime, low friction coefficient, and stability under atmospheric conditions. An enabling technology for long-duration missions.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>Oxford Dynamics (\u00a3194,000) \u2013 Development of a long-range radar system capable of detecting objects in low Earth orbit, which could support space debris mitigation operations.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>Newton Launch Systems (\u00a3194,000) \u2013 Development of a nitrous oxide monopropellant thruster using induction heating as the trigger, with the aim of providing a solution to end-of-life satellite disposal.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>University of Bristol (\u00a3206,000) \u2013 Use of data from NASA\u2019s UK-backed Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission to improve the order of magnitude accuracy for global flood modeling.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>Orbit Fab (\u00a3228,000) \u2013 Development of an in-orbit refueling interface, using a grasping technique, to enhance satellite servicing solutions that support sustainable space operations.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>University of Strathclyde (\u00a3250,000) \u2013 Development of a technique combining hyperspectral technology (imagine using a wide electromagnetic spectrum) with machine learning to determine the movement of space objects, which could support active debris removal operations.<\/li>\n<li>GMV (\u00a3250,000) \u2013 Development of a novel distributed simulation environment using a robotic testbed with digital twins and cutting-edge extended reality to verify and validate IOSM operations. An enabling technology for in-orbit refueling and satellite servicing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The UK Space Agency has announced 23 innovative and inventive projects that could boost UK leadership in new space technologies and applications around the world. The Enabling Technologies Program (ETP) provides opportunities for the UK space sector to accelerate the development of leading-edge technologies that could be used to tackle global problems and benefit the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[25,38,20,45],"class_list":["post-7967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-launch","tag-leo","tag-satellite","tag-sensors"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7967"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7967\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}