Tag Archives: UK government

The UK Government has launched the first funding call for its C-LEO programme – to help boost the country’s satellite communications sector – which was announced in the recent Spring Budget. There is £60 million of funding being made available over the next four years for satellite constellation-related ideas. Awards of up to £20 million per project will be funded ...

The UK Space agency is funding a comms tech competition with a potential of £10 million investment open to a range of “innovative products or components, systems or services, and any aspect of the space, ground or network segments”. This could, for example, include technologies such as the laser communication in space, or the use of space tech to improve ...

A military laser which could boost the UK Armed Forces with greater accuracy while reducing the reliance on high-cost ammunition has reached its next milestone. During a trial at the MOD’s Hebrides Range, the DragonFire laser directed energy weapon (LDEW) system achieved the UK’s first high-power firing of a laser weapon against aerial targets. The range of DragonFire is classified, but ...

The UK Space Agency has awarded Raytheon a contract to provide Space Surveillance and Tracking Services Data (SST) from low-Earth orbit (LEO). Specifically, Raytheon NORSS – Raytheon’s UK-based space domain awareness specialist- will be using Raytheon’s LOCI (LEO Optical Camera Installation) sensor network to track “Resident Space Objects”. Such objects include space debris, defence assets and commercial satellites, to better ...

A government body which creates secret technologies to support national security – His Majesty’s Government Communications Centre (HMGCC) – has launched an initiative to work more openly with technology firms and academics. HMGCC is based at Hanslope Park near Milton Keynes and is described by the government as a centre of national security engineering excellence. The new commercial initiative is ...

The UK government has announced Enabling Technologies Programme (ETP) funding for a range of projects designed to help boost UK development of new space technologies. Twenty-three projects are involved and, in total, the UK government funding is £4 million. This is made up of £3.2 million from the UK Space Agency (UKSA) with £800,000 contributed by the Science and Technology ...

Twelve British semiconductor start-ups been named as the initial members of ChipStart UK, a two-year pilot programme backed by the UK Government intended to provide early-stage IC design companies with technical and commercial help towards bringing their products to market. The £1.3m programme is being delivered by Silicon Catalyst UK, and is part of the UK National Semiconductor Strategy. “This ...

The University of Sheffield is leading a government-funded project to address the semiconductor skills shortage in the UK with Devon-based Bay Photonics and Phlux Technology of Sheffield by improving knowledge of semiconductors in the the general public, and particularly pre-higher education students. “The project is called ASISST – addressing shortages in semiconductor skills training – and will see the partners ...

The UK Space Agency is funding a new initiative to secure foreign direct investment (FDI) opportunities for the UK. It will be supporting the Department for Business and Trade and various space cluster representatives across the nation. Basically, it is to encourage startups and established companies from around the world to set up, or expand, their space operations within the ...

The UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF) has welcomed the publication of the Government’s semiconductor strategy, but is highlighting that a chronic skills shortage threatens the industry’s ability to compete on a global stage. The organisation – an educational charity established in 2010 – is campaigning for the Government to recognise the need for a much greater focus on Electronics and ...