UK Space Agency funds £10m comms tech competition

This could, for example, include technologies such as the laser communication in space, or the use of space tech to improve the efficiency of global shipping and trade.

Full details of the funding competition for satellite communication development can be found here, and the agency will host a webinar on 22 March for potential applicants to learn how to bid for investment.

“Telecommunications is vital for the future of the UK, by connecting remote areas, improving healthcare and upgrading navigation, which is why it is a key government priority, backed by schemes like Project Gigabit rolling out super-fast connectivity across the country,” said Andrew Griffith MP, Minister for Space at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

“Our additional investment of £10 million today will put the UK at the forefront of the next generation of telecoms, as well as supporting the experts and innovators who make these pioneering breakthroughs possible, boosting the UK economy through our thriving space sector.”

The funding was announced at the start of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It is part of the UK’s commitment to the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Advanced Research in Telecommunication Systems (ARTES) programme.

Previous projects funded under the programme include the development of a miniature ground station to support disaster relief operations, devices, and the first European in-orbit demonstration of a new type of water propulsion, said the agency.

Future telecoms is one of the five critical technologies identified in the UK government’s Science and Technology Framework.

Image: UK Space Agency

See also: UKSA funds science and tech projects for Axiom Space mission