News: UK Space Agency
Headlines from space publications, linked back to the original articles
Industry / News / UK Space Agency
- UK to Award £25M Space Surveillance Radar Contract in July 2027 European Spaceflight · 16 Oct 2026 The UK Space Agency (UKSA) is expected to award a £25 million contract for a ground-based space surveillance radar in July 2027. The call, published in late September, follows several changes to the government’s procurem...
- SaxaVord Scrapped Launch Rail Plans, Forcing HyImpulse to Bring Its Own European Spaceflight · 22 Sep 2026 UK-based launch facility SaxaVord Spaceport has confirmed that it abandoned plans to develop a shared suborbital launch rail, with German rocket builder HyImpulse now preparing to bring its own system to the Scottish lau...
- UK Misses Deadline to Award Contract for Space Debris Removal Mission European Spaceflight · 20 Jul 2026 The UK Space Agency has missed a deadline to award a £75.6 million contract for the country’s first mission to capture and remove dead satellites from low Earth orbit. A call for Phase 3 of the mission’s development was...
- Q&A: Rebecca Evernden on UK space strategy SpaceNews · 13 Mar 2026 SpaceNews caught up with Rebecca Evernden, the recently appointed Director of the new UK Space Agency, at Space Comm Expo in London. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. SpaceNews: Which do you see as...
- UK backs in orbit production of high value materials SpaceDaily · 19 Feb 2026 London, UK (SPX) Feb 17, 2026 The UK Space Agency has placed three new study contracts with British companies to assess how advanced materials could be manufactured in Low Earth Orbit for use back on Earth. The projects...
- UK backs new electric propulsion hub for satellite engines SpaceDaily · 10 Feb 2026 London, UK (SPX) Feb 06, 2026 A new electric propulsion laboratory for satellite engines has opened at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, providing UK space companies with access to advanced testin...
- UK Space Agency CEO stepping down as agency folds into government SpaceNews · 2 Feb 2026 Paul Bate is stepping down as CEO of the UK Space Agency at the end of March as it transitions from a standalone body into the British government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
- Lodestar Space wins SECP support to advance AI satellite awareness system SpaceDaily · 9 Dec 2025 London, UK (SPX) Dec 08, 2025 Lodestar Space has secured funding through the UK Space Agency's Space Ecosystem Commercialisation Programme, delivered by Space South Central, to accelerate work on its on-orbit sensing sys...
- Orbit Fab to lead ESA backed ASTRAL refuelling demo in orbit SpaceDaily · 3 Dec 2025 Berlin, Germany (SPX) Dec 03, 2025 Orbit Fab has secured up to $3.8 million in funding through the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency's Directorate of Connectivity and Secure Communications to lead a European...
- UK government commits GBP 6.9 million to boost satellite communications sector SpaceDaily · 25 Nov 2025 London, UK (SPX) Nov 25, 2025 The UK Space Agency has announced a GBP 6.9 million investment to accelerate the development of next-generation satellite technologies. The new funding, delivered through the European Space...
- Q&A: The pace is picking up for Astroscale SpaceNews · 4 Nov 2025 Through missions currently on the books for the Japan Space Agency JAXA, the U.S. Space Force, European Space Agency, UK Space Agency and Eutelsat OneWeb, the Tokyo-based on-orbit servicing company Astroscale aims to dem...
- Australia and UK extend Space Bridge partnership SpaceNews · 1 Oct 2025 SYDNEY, Australia – Australia and the United Kingdom renewed their commitment to space-related cooperation in an agreement signed Oct. 1 at the International Astronautical Congress here. Enrico Palermo, Australian Space...
- Abolishing the UK’s independent space agency could be a mistake SpaceNews · 9 Sep 2025 At the end of August, the U.K. government took the decision to fold the UK Space Agency (UKSA) into the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). UKSA was created in 2010, reflecting the understanding tha...
- UK Space Agency Hires Consultants to Explain the UK Space Sector European Spaceflight · 22 Aug 2025 The UK Space Agency has commissioned Frazer-Nash Consultancy to review the nation’s capacity to deliver on in-situ resource utilisation capabilities. According to the agency, the results of the study will be used to “inf...
- UK Space Agency to Lose Limited Autonomy to Government Streamlining European Spaceflight · 20 Aug 2025 The UK Space Agency has announced that from April 2026 it will be absorbed into the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, losing its executive agency status. In its 20 August announcement, the UK Space Agenc...
- UK Government Abolishes Independent UK Space Agency; Will Merge Into DSIT by 2026 The Launch Pad · 20 Aug 2025 UK Government Abolishes Independent UK Space Agency; Will Merge Into DSIT by 2026
- UK Government Commits £75.6M to Space Debris Removal Mission European Spaceflight · 11 Jul 2025 The UK Space Agency has issued a £75.6 million (€87.3 million) call for proposals for what it describes as the nation’s first mission to actively remove defunct satellites from orbit. Announced on 3 July, the Active Debr...
- ClearSpace completes second phase of UK debris-removal mission SpaceNews · 7 May 2025 PUAKO, Hawaii — ClearSpace completed the second phase of the UK Space Agency’s Active Debris Removal (ADR) mission, by testing and refining technology to remove satellites from low-Earth orbit. In […]
- SatixFy gets UK funds to accelerate in-orbit satellite reconfiguration SpaceNews · 5 Mar 2025 The UK Space Agency has awarded SatixFy funds to develop software to speed up how quickly reprogrammable satellites can adapt to changing needs in orbit, the Israeli chipmaker announced March 5.
- More than 180 experts, space agencies, government officials and industry leaders confirmed for Farnborough International Space Show & ISRSE-40 programmes SpaceNews · 24 Feb 2025 Speakers from Rolls-Royce, Thales Alenia, NOAA, Babcock, European Space Agency, UK Space Agency, and Egyptian Space Agency are the latest to join the growing programmes of the Farnborough International Space […]
- Astroscale and Clearspace reach development milestone for dual-satellite deorbit mission SpaceNews · 11 Feb 2025 Astroscale and ClearSpace have passed the halfway mark in de-risking key technologies for potentially de-orbiting two satellites in a single mission in 2026 for the UK Space Agency.
- UK Space Agency Launch Director Hints at Major Support for Orbex European Spaceflight · 27 Jan 2025 The UK Space Agency’s Director of Launch, Matthew Archer, has stated that it is “essential” for the country to participate in the European Launcher Challenge to ensure it continues to build on its efforts to develop sove...
- No place too remote: Enabling satellite connectivity from Pole to Pole ESA · 3 Oct 2024 To achieve truly global connectivity, telecommunications satellites are essential. Through the Sunrise Partnership Project with Eutelsat OneWeb – part of Eutelsat Group – and support from the UK Space Agency, ESA is exte...
- Astroscale and ClearSpace get funds to advance double satellite de-orbit mission SpaceNews · 11 Sep 2024 The UK Space Agency has awarded funds to consortiums led by Astroscale and ClearSpace to continue developing a servicer capable of removing two spacecraft from low Earth orbit in 2026.
- Rolls-Royce Submarines to Develop Nuclear Reactors for UK Space Agency European Spaceflight · 30 Jul 2024 Rolls-Royce Submarines has received £4.8 million in additional UK Space Agency funding to develop a Space Micro-Reactor demonstrator. The funding was announced as part of £33 million in UK Space Agency (UKSA) awards, sup...
- UK Funds Tech to Purify Water Frozen in Lunar Soil European Spaceflight · 27 Jul 2024 The UK Space Agency has announced the ten finalists of its Aqualunar Challenge, which aims to promote the development of systems that will enable purified water to be extracted from lunar soil. To ensure that a sustained...
- UK Space Agency Awards HyImpulse £5 Million for Suborbital Rocket Launch The Launch Pad · 24 Jul 2024 UK Space Agency Awards HyImpulse £5 Million for Suborbital Rocket Launch
- HyImpulse Awarded £5M in UKSA Funding for SR75 Launch European Spaceflight · 22 Jul 2024 The UK Space Agency has awarded £5 million (5.94 million) in new funding to HyImpulse to launch its suborbital SR75 rocket from SaxaVord in Scotland. The launch was one of more than 20 national space projects that receiv...
- Nine ventures join first SoCal-UK Space Accelerator SpaceNews · 8 Jul 2024 Mandala Space Ventures, a Californian venture studio and incubator, announced July 8 the nine United Kingdom-based startups participating in its UK Space Agency-funded accelerator program this fall.
- UK Space Agency to Open New HQ and Regional Offices European Spaceflight · 26 Mar 2024 The UK Space Agency has announced plans to move its headquarters to the Harwell Space Cluster in Oxfordshire. The agency is also planning to...
- UK Space Agency moving HQ to Harwell space cluster SpaceNews · 25 Mar 2024 The U.K.’s space agency plans to open new headquarters in June at the Harwell Science Campus space cluster in England to strengthen ties with the commercial industry.
- UKSA May or May Not Offer £15M for Science Aboard Axiom Mission European Spaceflight · 20 Feb 2024 The UK Space Agency announced 20 February that it could make up to £15 million in funding available for science and technology payloads should the country proceed with a proposed Axiom mission. In October 2023, the Unite...
- UKSA Contributes £7.4M to Exploration Missions from Around the World European Spaceflight · 14 Feb 2024 The UK Space Agency has committed £7.4 million in contributions to eight international missions that will explore the Moon, Mars, Venus, and our Universe. “From exploring water on Mars and the possibility of sustained hu...
- UKSA Commits £3.5M to the Development of Satellite Servicing Tech European Spaceflight · 12 Feb 2024 The UK Space Agency has announced that it has committed £3.5 million in funding to further the development of technology aimed at extending the life of satellites. The Satellite Applications Catapult will receive £2 mill...
- UK Space Agency Launches Challenge to Purify Lunar Water European Spaceflight · 23 Jan 2024 The UK Space Agency, in partnership with its Canadian counterpart, has launched the £1.2 million, which aims to support the development of technology that would enable the extraction of purified water from ice buried ben...
- HyImpulse and Orbex Received £6.7M in UK Space Agency Funding European Spaceflight · 13 Dec 2023 The UK Space Agency has awarded £6.7 million in funding to Orbex and HyImpulse to “help cement the UK’s position as Europe’s leading destination for commercial spaceflight activities.” HyImpulse was awarded £3.4 million...
- UK helps fund Rocket Factory Augsburg’s maiden flight SpaceNews · 26 Oct 2023 The UK Space Agency is providing £3.5 million ($4.3 million) to help Germany’s Rocket Factory Augsburg prepare for its maiden flight next year from SaxaVord Spaceport, located in Scotland’s Shetland Islands.
- RFA UK Receives £3.5M for SaxaVord Development European Spaceflight · 26 Oct 2023 Rocket Factory Ltd, the UK-based subsidiary of the German launch startup Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), has received £3.5 million in funding from the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency to support its plans to...
- UK Space Agency Signs Agreement with Axiom Space European Spaceflight · 25 Oct 2023 The UK Space Agency has signed an agreement with Axiom Space to pave the way for a commercially sponsored astronaut mission. According to a 25 October press release, “UK astronauts” (suggesting more than one astronaut) w...
- UK to Provide £65M for High-Risk, High-Reward Space Tech Projects European Spaceflight · 28 Sep 2023 The UK Space Agency has announced plans to make £65 million of funding available for what it refers to as “high-risk, high-reward” projects that could boost the United Kingdom’s leadership in space technologies and appli...