The UK Space Agency has announced a significant £17 million investment to accelerate the country’s next wave of space technologies, supporting 17 cutting-edge projects across industry and academia
Revealed at the Space Comm Expo in Glasgow, the funding comes through the National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP). It targets technologies that will shape the UK’s future capabilities in orbit and on Earth.
Driving new technology across five strategic themes
The selected space innovation projects fall into five priority areas: space domain awareness, in-orbit servicing and manufacturing, Earth observation, satellite communications, and position, navigation, and timing.
Technologies developed through this programme range from compact propulsion systems and refuel-able satellites to advanced AI tools for pollution tracking and space object analysis. The goal is to accelerate commercialisation, strengthen orbital resilience, and ensure the UK continues to push forward in a fast-moving, highly competitive sector.
Benefits for he public and the economy
The newly funded space innovation projects are expected to support up to 140 specialised jobs across the UK, expanding national expertise in engineering, data science, and high-tech manufacturing. Many of the innovations will directly benefit public services by improving climate monitoring, weather forecasting, and environmental management.
Earth observation features strongly, with projects such as HR Wallingford’s satellite-powered AI tool designed to track how agricultural activity affects water quality. Other initiatives aim to improve emergency response, support sustainable land use, and enhance overall environmental protection.
New systems for tracking radio signals from Earth, analysing objects in orbit, and enabling autonomous operations will help keep satellites safe and improve the UK’s ability to monitor space activity.
Supporting sustainable and more innovative space operations
Several projects contribute to the UK’s long-term sustainability goals for space. Innovations include water-based propulsion technologies, refuel-able electric thrusters, and modular robotic tools that can repair or service satellites in orbit. These technologies aim to reduce debris, extend mission lifetimes, and make future satellite constellations more efficient.c
High-power solar array systems, quantum communication hardware, and UV-based inter-satellite links are also being advanced, broadening the UK’s capability for secure and resilient communications.
A strong space economy
The investment supports the UK’s £18 billion space sector, which continues to grow and attract international attention. It follows the UK’s recent £1.7 billion commitment to European Space Agency programmes, bringing the country’s total ESA investment to £2.8 billion over the next decade.
These combined efforts form part of a broader strategy to strengthen the UK’s position as a global space leader. Recent funding rounds, international partnerships, and new government commitments signal a coordinated approach to boost innovation, commercial growth, and national capabilities.
Projects receiving funding
- Magdrive Ltd – £2m for mass-production-ready plasma propulsion.
- B2Space and partners – £2m for a UK-led high-altitude Earth observation system with onboard AI.
- Lightricity Ltd and partners – £1.9m for deployable, high-power solar arrays for small satellites.
- BAE Systems Digital Intelligence – £1.47m for satellite-based radio signal detection.
- Toshiba Europe and partners – £1.45m for space-qualified quantum communication components.
- Filtronic Broadband – £1.18m for advanced satellite communications amplifiers.
- Lodestar Space and partners – £1m for autonomous robotic in-orbit servicing tools.
- Protolaunch and partners – £1m for sustainable water-based propulsion.
- University of Bristol and partners – £980k for UV-based secure CubeSat communications.
- University of Edinburgh – £850k for a pollution-monitoring CubeSat instrument.
- University of Southampton and Cranfield Plasma Solutions – £800k for a plasma torch to test spacecraft re-entry materials.
- University of Birmingham and Alan Turing Institute – £610k for AI-driven radar analysis of space objects.
- University of Strathclyde and BAE Systems – £540k for GPS-independent satellite navigation.
- University of Leicester and TWI – £485k for a robot-mounted welding system for in-space repairs.
- Orbit Fab and TAS UK – £340k for refuelling electric propulsion technology.
- HR Wallingford and water sector partners – £320k for an AI-powered water-quality monitoring tool.
