Britain is committing £6.9 million to advance satellite communications through five UK-led projects backed via the European Space Agency’s ARTES programme, the UK Space Agency stated.
The funding is intended to strengthen the country’s position in European space technology while supporting priorities in satellite communications, positioning, in-orbit servicing, space domain awareness and space data applications.
The agency points to a projected £40 billion European satellite market between now and 2033, arguing that capturing only a small share would generate substantial revenue for the UK. Space Minister Liz Lloyd said in the announcement that “space technology and especially satellites, are essential to our daily lives”, adding that backing domestic firms would “cement our position as a European space leader” and support high-skilled employment.
The projects supported under ARTES cover a range of emerging capabilities. Orbit Fab receives up to £2.9 million for its ASTRAL initiative, which will demonstrate refuelling of electric-propulsion satellites using UK-developed hardware. Goonhilly Earth Station in Cornwall gains £1.6 million for AGILE, a LunaNet-compatible interface for lunar communications infrastructure. Vicinity Technologies is awarded £1.19 million to develop a regenerative 5G non-terrestrial network payload and user terminals intended to support global connectivity.
Archangel Lightworks, working with Eutelsat OneWeb, receives £356,000 for the SOLIS study exploring integration of free-space optical links into the OneWeb constellation. Inmarsat Navigation Ventures (Viasat UK) is assigned £881,000 for the second phase of its International Virtual Satellite Operators Network, intended to help governments manage and secure satellite communications services across multiple providers.
ESA’s Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications, Laurent Jaffart, said the agency aims to support a “vibrant and striving telecommunications ecosystem in Europe” while pursuing a zero-debris environment. Dr Colin Baldwin of UKspace said the ARTES investments reflect confidence that Britain can secure a significant share of the global satcom market.
