The UK Space Agency has announced £17 million for seventeen UK space projects through its National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP), unveiled today at Space Comm Expo in Glasgow. This investment will accelerate breakthrough technologies, boost commercialisation, and reinforce the UK’s global leadership in space innovation.
The selected projects span five strategic themes critical to the UK’s space ambitions: space domain awareness, in-orbit servicing and manufacturing, Earth observation, satellite communications, and position, navigation and timing.
Together, these projects will deliver transformative technologies to enhance climate monitoring, improve connectivity, enable sustainable satellite operations, and strengthen national security. From quantum communications and robotic servicing tools to AI-powered pollution tracking and refuellable propulsion systems, these innovations will help build a resilient, competitive UK space sector.
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Space Minister Liz Lloyd said:
“Space technology benefits people's lives every day - from checking the weather to navigating your car journey home from work. This funding backs the brilliant UK innovators developing the next generation of space technology.
"By supporting our space sector, we're strengthening the UK's position as a world leader in space innovation and building technologies that will benefit people across the country for years to come."
Commercial and public benefits
NSIP’s newly funded projects will also deliver tangible public value. Together, these projects are anticipated to create up to 140 skilled jobs across the UK, strengthening the talent pipeline in engineering, data science and advanced manufacturing.
Innovations in Earth observation and satellite data will enhance services such as weather forecasting, agricultural monitoring, and disaster response. HR Wallingford’s AI tool will use satellite data to assess how farming practices affect water quality in our rivers and bathing waters, supporting environmental protection and more sustainable land use.
Magdrive Ltd is developing a compact, versatile and efficient metal-based plasma propulsion system, targeting mass production in the UK to support the next generation of satellite constellations.
Several projects will also contribute to national security and resilience. The University of Birmingham’s AI-powered satellite radar analysis system will help understand and respond to objects in space, improving space domain awareness and shaping the future of autonomous satellite operations, making space missions safer and smarter with bespoke AI-approaches developed by Alan Turing Institute. BAE Systems Digital Intelligence is developing a satellite-based service to detect and track radio signals from Earth, with applications in both civil and defence contexts.
The programme is advancing the UK’s sustainability goals. Protolaunch’s water-based propulsion system and Orbit Fab’s first step to developing a refuellable electric propulsion system which will promote greener satellite operations, while Lodestar Space will develop autonomous, modular robotic tools to service spacecraft in orbit, reducing space debris and extending satellite lifespans.
Professor Mark Sims and Professor Anna Hogg, Space Academic Network (SPAN) Co-Chairs said:
“We are pleased to see how the UK Space Agency NSIP programme enables great innovation across industry and academia, often jointly supporting the development of real future technologies for the UK space sector.
“The strengthening of collaboration between industry and academia over the last decade clearly demonstrates the power of working together. The wide variety of technologies now being developed through NSIP is exciting to see, each one representing an opportunity to advance the sector and drive future growth.”
Building a world-leading space economy
This new investment from the UK Space Agency builds on the UK’s £18 billion space sector, which continues to grow rapidly and is a leading destination for space investment globally.
UKspace Executive Director, Colin Baldwin, said:
“We offer our congratulations to all the successful recipients of these awards. This investment expands the impact of the NSIP and provides the opportunity for space companies and academic institutions to develop innovative new sovereign capability that strengthens the UK in several important areas.
“We also welcome the Government’s announcement that from 2026 it will be spending more on civil space than ever before. We look forward to working with the emerging "One Government" approach to space to deliver security and growth for our nation."
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The UK last week agreed a £1.7 billion investment in European Space Agency (ESA) programmes at the ESA Council of Ministers in Bremen, boosting the UK’s total commitment to £2.8 billion over the next decade. This funding will sustain thousands of high-skilled jobs, drive innovation, and deliver benefits for people and businesses—from improved connectivity to more resilient infrastructure. Every £1 invested in ESA returns £7.49 to the UK economy, with contracts flowing back to UK industry and universities.
Today’s announcement complements recent UK Space Agency funding that reinforce the UK’s strategic direction in space. These include £6.8 million in International Bilateral Fund awards to support global partnerships, and £6.9 million in government funding for satellite communications projects, leveraging the space sector’s talents and strengthening the UK’s reputation as a world leader in space technology.
Together, these efforts reflect a coordinated approach to growing the UK’s space economy, advancing innovation, and delivering lasting value to citizens and stakeholders across the country.
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