BRITAIN’S space industry has been tasked to look at ways it can help in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus and to prevent future epidemics.
The UK Space Agency is putting forward £2.6 million in partnership with the European Space Agency[ESA] to look at a range of measures, including drones delivering test kits and equipment for the NHS and using satellite communications to carry out appointments online rather than face-to-face.
It could also support schemes to manage infectious disease outbreaks, improve population health and wellbeing, support the health system to recover after the crisis and prepare for future epidemics.
Amanda Solloway, the UK Science Minister, said: "From new advanced software helping speed up cancer diagnoses to satellite communications connecting GPs to patients virtually, the UK space sector has been world leading in applying its innovations to supporting our brilliant NHS.
“This new funding will ensure that the latest innovations will be on the frontline of tackling the unique problems the coronavirus outbreak has created, helping medical staff to focus on delivering world-class care."
Professor Tony Young, the NHS national clinical lead for innovation, explained: "Everyone in the NHS is working hard to tackle the coronavirus pandemic and provide the best possible care for all our patients and to do this we've looked outside the health service as well as to existing NHS services, including actively seeking to work with private sector providers and other businesses who can support NHS care.
"This is a global crisis that would overwhelm any health service on earth without strong action from the public and their public services, which is why the NHS is looking to industries across the world - or indeed from out of this world - for new and exciting innovations that could help improve the care we provide to patients or help the NHS respond to this pandemic," he added.
Space-enabled solutions could include satellite communications, satellite navigation, Earth observation satellites or technology derived from human spaceflight.
The UK continues to be a leading member of ESA, which is independent of the EU, having committed a record investment of £374m per year in November 2019.
The new funding to support the coronavirus response comes from ESA’s Business Applications Space Solutions fund, which the UK is the leading investor in.
Nick Appleyard, Head of Downstream Business Applications at ESA’s European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications in Oxfordshire, said: “Even in normal times, satellites and space technology offer solutions to our needs in connectivity and inclusion, in resilience and logistics, and to support healthcare provision in even the most extreme situations.
“The current circumstances challenge the space business community to show just how much it can offer, to help us through this a once in a century event. Speed is of the essence, so let us act without delay.”
He added: “Space is already playing an important part in healthcare. UK start-up company Lanterne recently announced a free app to help people observe social distancing to slow the spread of coronavirus, using GPS satellite data and AI technologies.”
Last year, the UK Space Agency provided £5m for new health technologies. These included providing real-time diagnosis of bowel cancer, developing more compact 3D X-ray machines and a mobile app that provided exercise plans free from air pollution for those with medical conditions such as asthma.
Meanwhile, the UK Space Agency’s International Partnership Programme uses UK expertise to support healthcare projects all over the world, including forecasting and providing early warning of dengue fever outbreaks in Vietnam through Earth observation satellites and using telecommunications to extend the reach of basic medical healthcare into remote areas in Nigeria.
The country’s space agency and the UKspace trade body are also working together to help the space sector respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
The UK space sector employs 42,000 people and generates an income of £14.8 billion each year, while supporting £300bn of wider economic activity through other industries with satellite services such as navigation, communications and Earth observation.
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