From the new Minister of State for Science, Innovation & Technology, to policy, industry & academic members, we were delighted to meet so many people at FIA2024
Our S4C App was a huge draw at Farnborough International Airshow, taking centre stage in the Space Zone on the UK Space Agency stand.
An early visitor was the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation & Technology, Peter Kyle. He saw how the eye-catching App follows the story of UK expertise in climate data from space, from climate satellites, to global data visualisations, climate research and climate services developed by our members and where they are making a difference in tackling climate change around the world. Our Chair, Beth Greenaway, Head of Earth Observation and Climate at UK Space Agency (UKSA) talked to him about our work to support development of UK climate services and promoting UK capabilities all along the supply chain of climate data from space. With them were Paul Bate, CEO of UKSA and Harshbir Sangha, Director Missions and Capabilities.
Space for Secretary of State’s first speech
We were delighted to welcome many members to the stand, to meet up with Regional Space Clusters and to talk to potential new members. We even had a visit from Astronaut Tim Peake.
The show, held this year from July 22-26, is vast and covers all aspects of aerospace, including defence and commercial aircraft displays, four huge halls of stands, stages and networking events. The Space Zone is growing each year and has its own Space Theatre for keynote speeches and panels.
The Secretary of State made his first public speech in the Space Zone. He said he had long been inspired by the show and by the space sector, commenting: “It is a sector so incredibly passionate about their innovations, about their contribution to it but also passionate about the possibilities that space has. It’s infectious. I have been infected by their enthusiasm and drive.” You can read his full speech here.
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation & Technology, Peter Kyle, Peter (2nd right) is shown our S4C App by our Chair Beth Greenaway, Head of EO & Climate at UK Space Agency (centre) at Farnborough International Airshow
New jobs in joint ECSAT expansion
The European Space Agency (ESA) and UK Space Agency took the opportunity to announce an expansion of the European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT) based on the Harwell Science Campus, Oxfordshire. It will create an extra 100 jobs.
The joint plan was revealed on the adjoining UKSA and ESA stands. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said: “Together with the UK Space Agency we want to build on ECSAT’s leadership role in commercial space applications and telecommunications, push forward new initiatives in high-growth areas, deliver better services to all European citizens, and grow our UK workforce to 200 people by 2030.”
Paul Bate said: “As a founding member of the European Space Agency, UK scientists and engineers contribute to global scientific and commercial space endeavours, furthering human knowledge and bringing the benefits of space technologies to citizens on Earth.
“Together with ESA, we believe there is vast potential to build on the success of the ECSAT facility in Harwell, to support even more businesses, accelerate the development of new technologies and take advantage of the UK’s wider strengths in science and innovation.
“As space is a growing industry, we are also taking concrete steps to improve the availability of dedicated training programmes, which will help address skills gaps identified by the sector.”
£3m InCubed2 fund
The UK Space Agency also made funding announcements. With ESA it launched a new £3m call for proposals for the ESA Earth Observation programme, InCubed2, for proposals using Earth Observation for use in the Public Sector. Applicants need to submit an Ideas Pitch to ESA before the deadline, 10.59pm (BST) on September 12th. Full details here.
UKSA also unveiled five new projects that have been awarded a total of £2.1m to help tackle key skills gaps identified by the UK space industry. The funding will boost the availability of training programmes, courses and other learning interventions that can break down barriers to opportunities within this fast-growing, high-tech sector. The projects will be led by the universities of Edinburgh, Leicester and Portsmouth, the Royal Institute of Navigation, and Plastron Training, a specialist provider of training services focused on safety in the commercial space sector. More details on the ECSAT announcement and the five projects here.