More than £10million in funding has been announced for five space projects across Scotland on the opening day of the Farnborough International Airshow.
The projects comes from the government's National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) and will put £10.6million into the Scottish space sector.
NSIP is designed to invest in high-potential technologies and drive innovation across the UK and two projects in Scotland will receive £8.5million of that money. That includes a sub-orbital rocket test by Hylmpulse in Glasgow from the SaxaVord spaceport in Shetland. HyImpulse intends to provide a fully vertically integrated launch service for a low-cost, fast, flexible, and reliable deployment of small satellites to low Earth and sun synchronous orbits.
The funding will help space businesses grow as well as creating news jobs in the country. It will also enhance Scotland’s space capabilities and services to international investors and major space players.
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It’s part of £33million worth of funding across the UK with an additional three kick starter projects across Scotland will receive £2.4million between them.
The projects are designed to support technologies and applications that are at an earlier stage of development and increase their readiness to use in commercial and scientific endeavours.
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: "This is an exciting time for the Scottish space sector as we look forward to the first satellite launch from SaxaVord in Shetland later this year. The burgeoning industry plays a vital role in our economy and employs thousands of people across the country.
“It was fantastic to meet with some of them here and hear about their pioneering plans which could be a key driver for growth, jobs and investment in Scotland.
"Scotland is a major player in the international space industry and I am delighted the UK Government is continuing to back the sector with £10.9 million in funding for these five Scottish projects.”
The schemes to be funded include a partnership between the University of Strathclyde, UK Atomic Energy Authority and SJE Space, which is looking to carry out a feasibility study into whether hi-tech drilling techniques can be adapted for lunar exploration.
Other programmes across the UK that will receive funding include Lunasa in Harwell, Oxfordshire, to build and test technology to help satellites safely dock with one another.
Also in Harwell, Orbit Fab will be funded to develop a solution for satellite refuelling, and Wayland Additive in Huddersfield will be helped to develop an electronic propulsion system.
Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said: “These new projects will help kickstart growth, create more high-quality jobs, protect our planet and preserve the space environment for future generations. They go to the heart of what we want to achieve as a national space agency that supports cutting-edge innovation, spreads opportunity across the UK and delivers the benefits of space back to citizens on Earth.”
Chair of the UKspace trade association, John Hanley, said: "This investment into the space industry demonstrates the importance of funding through a national programme to unlock innovative collaborations in all parts of the UK. We hope this will further strengthen the sector and build upon the growth we have seen in recent years."
Some of the biggest fundings include the £5m for SHARP project in Glasgow, while the same money has been given to an in-orbit demonstration of an unfolding TIR space telescope for climate change mitigation, which is led by Super Sharp Space Systems in partnership with the University of Cambridge.
That will support a thermal infrared telescope which will collect data in attempts to mitigate climate change.
Another £4.8million is in a project led by Rolls-Royce Submarines in partnership with Bangor University and the University of Oxford. It will raise the technology level for space micro-reactors and look to close the gap to a full system space flight demonstration and the commercialisation of space nuclear power.
A project led by STAR-Dundee, the Met Office and STFC RAL Space is building on the prior development of the Hyperspectral Microvwave Sounder and supply weather forecasting data to centres and create unique weather products and will receive £3.5million.
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