£33 million worth of space projects have been announced as part of the UK Space Agency's National Space Innovation Programme, designed to invest in high-potential technologies, drive innovation, and unlock growth across the UK.
RAL Space is leading 3 of the 15 “Kick Starter" projects announced today. These will support technologies and applications in an early stage of development, increasing their readiness for use in commercial and scientific development.
RAL Space is also supporting one of 8 major projects as part of the programme. Led by Spire Global, OHMS-Sat will further develop technology to supply unique weather forecasting data to global weather prediction centres.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary of State Peter Kyle said:
“From combatting climate change to staying connected with loved ones, space technologies play an important role in many aspects of our day to day lives.
“But backing the growth of UK space companies is also essential for driving economic growth, boosting productivity, and creating wealth in every community.
“Our £33m investment in these projects highlights the huge potential of the UK's space industry, especially as we collaborate with international partners."
RAL Space Project Summaries
RAL Space-led projects
SCOPE (Solar Coronagraph for OPErations): Developing and testing towards an environmentally-qualified model: £770,000
Led by RAL Space.
A project continuing the development of the SCOPE coronagraph, this project aims to image solar Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), enhancing our ability to predict CME arrival and thereby space weather.
DIGGER (Drilling and Integrated GigaHertz-Generated Energy Resource) for Lunar and Asteroid applications: £850,000
Led by RAL Space in partnership with University of Strathclyde, UK Atomic Energy Authority and SJE Space.
Digger is a feasibility study into whether terrestrial directed energy drilling (plasmas/microwaves) could be adapted for space applications, specifically lunar exploration. As humanity looks towards establishing sustainable presence and resource utilisation beyond Earth, DIGGER plays a pivotal role in enabling these ambitions.
Direct Detection Receivers for Millimetre Wave Radiometry: £830,000
Led by RAL Space in partnership with University of Glasgow and Spire Global.
The project will develop critical low noise amplifier and detector technology which will be at the core of the next generation of atmospheric remote sensing instrumentation. Applications extend beyond gathering data for weather prediction, with use cases being developed in emerging fields of millimetre wave non-destructive testing, short pulse laser and synchrotron diagnostics, security imaging, and theft prevention.
Additional RAL Space support
OHMS-Sat (Operational Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder-Satellite): £3.5 million
Led by Spire Global in partnership with STAR-Dundee, the Met Office and STFC RAL Space.
This project will build on the prior developments of the Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder (HYMS) to accelerate it towards an operational mission to supply weather forecasting data to global numerical weather prediction (NWP) centres and create unique weather products.
Read the full press release from UK Space Agency for details on further projects.
