The UK Space Agency has announced £17 million in funding for seventeen domestic space projects under its National Space Innovation Programme, unveiled today at the Space Comm Expo in Glasgow. The package is intended to accelerate the development and commercialisation of advanced space technologies, while bolstering the UK’s position in the global space industry.
The awards span five strategic themes: space domain awareness, in-orbit servicing and manufacturing, Earth observation, satellite communications, and position, navigation and timing. Together, the projects aim to deliver technologies intended to improve climate monitoring, connectivity, satellite sustainability, and national security. Innovations include quantum-secure communications, robotic servicing tools, AI-driven pollution tracking, and refuellable propulsion systems.
Liz Lloyd, the Space Minister, said the investment would support “brilliant UK innovators developing the next generation of space technology”, adding that the programme would strengthen the UK’s position as a leader in space innovation.
The agency said the programme would create up to 140 skilled jobs nationwide, helping to expand expertise in engineering, data science, and advanced manufacturing. Several initiatives have been designed to strengthen services such as weather forecasting, agricultural monitoring, and disaster response. HR Wallingford, for example, will use satellite data and artificial intelligence to assess the impact of farming on water quality, supporting environmental protection efforts.
Other projects focus on propulsion and satellite servicing. Magdrive is developing a compact plasma propulsion system for high-volume satellite constellations, while Protolaunch and Orbit Fab are working on water-based and refuellable propulsion technologies. Lodestar Space is creating modular robotic tools capable of servicing satellites in orbit, an approach aimed at reducing debris and extending spacecraft lifespans.
The University of Birmingham, working with the Alan Turing Institute, will develop AI-powered radar analysis to improve understanding of objects in orbit, contributing to space domain awareness. BAE Systems Digital Intelligence will build a satellite-based service to detect and track radio signals from Earth for both civil and defence applications.
Academic leaders welcomed the announcement. Mark Sims and Anna Hogg, Co-Chairs of the Space Academic Network, said the programme demonstrated the benefits of collaboration between universities and industry, adding that the technologies under development represented “opportunities to advance the sector and drive future growth”.
The investment builds on a space sector valued at £18 billion and expanding rapidly. Colin Baldwin, Executive Director of UKspace, said the awards would strengthen the UK’s sovereign industrial capabilities, and welcomed a separate government decision to increase civil space spending from 2026.
Last week, the UK committed £1.7 billion to European Space Agency programmes at a ministerial meeting in Bremen, bringing its total ESA investment to £2.8 billion over the next decade. The UK Space Agency said this would support thousands of jobs and deliver returns to the wider economy, with every £1 invested in ESA generating £7.49 for the UK.
Today’s announcement complements recent government funding rounds, including £6.8 million for international partnerships and £6.9 million for satellite communications projects. The agency said the combined efforts reflected a coordinated strategy to expand the space economy and deliver long-term value to businesses and the public.
