According to today’s announcement by Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, funding for cutting-edge new space technology will contribute to reducing carbon emissions, enhancing energy security, and enhancing the UK’s standing as a science superpower.
Projects utilising space-based solar power (SBSP), which harvests solar energy from the Sun using solar panels orbiting the Earth and may provide clean energy day and night regardless of the weather, will be eligible for a grant of £3 million.
By offering a dependable, affordable alternative to pricey and unstable fossil fuels, the technology has the potential to increase energy security while lowering the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions.
To help with more precise weather forecasts, grant money will also be made available for cutting-edge weather monitoring sensors.
Thanks to a collaboration with the data and analytics company Spire Global, the sensors will be launched into orbit for the first time.
The RAL Space-developed Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder (HYMS) will assist meteorological organisations and companies around the world that are involved in planning, shipping, and flood warnings.
In comparison to the sensors used on current satellites, it is four times more powerful.
David Morris, a member of the government from Morecambe and Lunesdale, will be the first-ever National Space Champion, a further indication of the administration’s dedication to the industry.
He will collaborate closely with business to ensure that the UK’s space industry continues to expand, draw in investment, and produce cutting-edge goods.
Morris is the leader of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Space and has long supported the UK space sector.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the secretary for business and energy, said:
Space-based solar energy could offer a reliable, low-cost source of energy that would help the world transition away from costly fossil fuels.
The investment made today is a fascinating illustration of how we might advance our goals of making the UK a science superpower.
Additionally, I’m thrilled that Spire Global will use Oxfordshire-developed HYMS technology to enhance weather forecasting.
These initiatives represent significant turning points for our National Space Strategy, strengthening the UK’s space capabilities while fostering economic growth and creating high-skill jobs.
David Morris, MP, a national space champion, said:
Being asked to serve as the first UK National Space Champion is an honour, and the government’s support of the industry’s expansion is demonstrated by this appointment.
In order to ensure that we can drive the industry to even further growth, I look forward to serving as a champion for the sector within government. The UK’s space sector is quickly emerging as a global leader.
Developing the underlying technologies of SBSP as standalone products has enormous commercial potential, notably in the areas of solar power and wireless power transmission, according to an independent study.
A constellation of HYMS-equipped satellites that can track swiftly moving extreme weather phenomena like hurricanes can be formed by launching dozens of them because the HYMS has a footprint that is fifty times less than that of existing technology.
The UK Space Agency’s CEO, Dr. Paul Bate, stated:
Some of the biggest problems we are now facing are being solved with the use of satellite technology.
In order to stimulate innovation, encourage investment, and provide real advantages to individuals and companies throughout the UK, we are collaborating with the space sector.
These two new initiatives demonstrate how important space is to our ability to monitor the weather and our environment, as well as how it can help with the worldwide effort to combat climate change.
In addition, I’d like to congratulate David Morris on being named the National Space Champion, and I look forward to working with him to promote our expanding industry.
Around 47,000 people are employed directly by the UK space industry, which also supports 190,000 employment throughout the supply chain.
These 2 initiatives will aid in safeguarding and expanding these high-quality jobs across the nation for future generations by building on the National Space Strategy’s promises to expand the economy and drive groundbreaking scientific research.