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Innovation in Space

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Innovation in Space Innovation in space Summary of an event held on 14 March 2016 at the Royal Academy of Engineering Innovation in space Summary of an event held on 14 March 2016 at the Royal Academy of Engineering Contents 1. Foreword 2 2. Space and space technology 3 3. The UK in space 5 4. Current and future space technologies 8 5. Space-enabled services 13 6. The business of innovation in space 17 Front cover photo: Galileo spacecraft formation © OHB System AG 7. Further reading and information 21 © Royal Academy of Engineering Cutout photo: Clyde Space’s 1U July 2016 8. Acknowledgements 22 Outernet Platform will send www.raeng.org.uk/space emergency weather warnings, Royal Academy of Engineering medical advice, as well as news and Prince Philip House entertainment information to users 3 Carlton House Terrace for free. Each CubeSat will receive London SW1Y 5DG data streams from a network of Tel: 020 7766 0600 ground stations and the data will then www.raeng.org.uk be transmitted to the user’s hand-held devices on the ground Registered Charity Number: 293074 © Clyde Space c2 Royal Academy of Engineering Innovation in space 1 Space technology is an inherent part of the response to the key challenges currently facing mankind 1. Foreword 2. Space and space technology In just two generations, space has moved from being the stuff of dreams through the phase of pioneering excitement to be an Over the past four years, the Royal Academy of Engineering has held essential and regular part of the infrastructure. Chairing the event, a series of half-day conferences to showcase UK innovations within Professor Sir Martin Sweeting OBE FREng FRS, the founder and engineering sectors that have potential for growth and for global reach. executive chairman of SSTL, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, said This Innovation in… series has covered such sectors as aerospace and that the overriding feature of current space technology was the automotive, construction, agritech and cross-sectoral technologies such wide range of applications where the impact of space was felt: from as autonomous systems. communications to agriculture and from the observation of climate The conference at the Academy on 14 March 2016 tackled space and space change to disaster prediction and relief. technology, an industry in its own right, but also an enabling technology for many other branches of business and science. It attracted engineers Sir Martin said that space technology and economic growth in parts of and business people from industry, academia and beyond to hear a series was an inherent part of the response the world that earthbound systems of presentations on the opportunities where the UK in particular is making to the key challenges currently struggle to reach. a significant and increasing contribution to the international exploitation facing humankind, including the of space. demographic realities of an ageing But future space technologies are also population, food production and going to rely on the development of This report is not intended to be a verbatim record of the conference, water supply, security and the fight current innovative systems on earth, which was recorded for the Royal Academy of Engineering’s website. against terrorism, the monitoring of Sir Martin said. For example, many Rather, it seeks to identify the technologies where there is potential environmental change and the use applications were based on advances for growth, the applications that are taking advantage of them, and of natural resources. Technologies in microelectronics coming out of the business factors that could help or hinder UK involvement. The aim delivered from space have the the consumer electronics industry, is to promote further discussion, both within the Royal Academy of potential to be available to all and and manufacturing processes to Engineering and beyond. thus to kick start wealth generation make large numbers of spacecraft for Photo: EDRS-C, the second node of the European Data Relay System (EDRS). EDRS is designed to transmit data between low Earth orbiting satellites and the EDRS payloads in geostationary orbit using innovative laser communication technology © ESA 22 Royal Royal Academy Academy of of Engineering Engineering Innovation in space 3 ‘constellation’ applications depended highly costly in the past using There is already a largely hidden but substantial on ideas borrowed from other conventional techniques. That means £11 billion UK space industry that employs around industries where series production new technologies in terms of new had helped to cut costs significantly. kinds of launchers and facilities, 80,000 people directly and indirectly but also new and more open ways The space community had previously of doing space business. Sir Martin thought in terms of one-off or commented that new technologies small numbers of satellites: “The such as air-breathing engines may constellation concept means we need change the economics of space, but to change how we think in space,” he will require significant investment said. And in parallel the sheer number and he welcomed the initiative of spacecraft and applications for around the UK Spaceport that is due them demanded a rethink in terms for 2018. of access to space, which has been 3. The UK in space SKYLON in flight. SKYLON is a single stage to orbit space plane designed to be powered by Synergistic Air-Breathing Rocket Engines (SABRE). © Reaction Engines Ltd SSTL, Sir Martin Sweeting’s company which was a spin-out from the satellite research work at the University of Surrey, is an acknowledged worldwide leader in the development of small satellites for scientific missions. The UK has also long been an important part of the wider European space industry, building satellites and other components for both military and civilian missions. In addition, there is a very strong UK involvement in the scientific instrument business and in satellite communications, where deployment in space has become regular practice and UK companies are world leaders. So, although the UK has had until space was identified by the UK now a fairly limited success rate in government as one of the ‘Eight the more highly-publicised parts of Great Technologies’ for the future, what used to be termed the ‘space a driver of innovation, technology, race’, the other aspects mean that applications and new businesses. there is already a largely hidden The current UK government has but substantial £11 billion UK space continued the work started by industry that employs around 80,000 the previous one under the Space people directly and indirectly. Innovation and Growth Strategy (IGS), which calls for a programme of More than that, however, satellites co-ordinated action to establish the and commercial applications of UK firmly as a leading space nation 4 Royal Academy of Engineering Innovation in space 5 The UK in space Sentinel-1B heading for orbit © ESA/ATG medialab and to grow the UK share of the global fundamental shift from the early market to a target of 10%. days of space and the-then space race dominated by the US and The potential rewards are significant. the former Soviet Union and by UK space activity measured in space exploration. While the initial economic terms grew by 9% a tentative steps into space were taken year between 1999 and 2007; the by governments and by government downturn of recent years has barely agencies such as the European Space dented the growth, and Sir Martin Agency, public funding of space Sweeting told the Royal Academy has been declining worldwide and of Engineering conference that the commercial interests in sectors such sector was still seeing increases of as communications and science are 7% a year, four times the national now dominant and expanding fast. average. Within the 20-year plan put Allied with technology changes that forward under the IGS up to 2030, increase the viability of smaller-scale there are estimates for a further projects, the space industry of the 100,000 UK jobs to come directly or future is likely to be a much more indirectly from the business of space. broadly-based sector in terms of its players, and it is also an area where One of the factors behind optimism smaller companies can now make for UK growth in the sector is a an impact. Acquired by NigeriaSat-2 a few days before the Olympics 2012, this image shows the East End of the city of London including the Olympic Park to the North of the Thames, London City Airport, London’s flood defence – the Thames Barrier, and the Millenium Dome © NASRDA 6 Royal Academy of Engineering Innovation in space 7 Current and future space technologies The question of how to miniaturise avionics to achieve the same level of reliability and functionality in ever smaller spacecraft is key 4. Current and future space technologies STRaND-1 smartphone nanosatellite. Space researchers at the University of Surrey’s Surrey Space Centre and SSTL developed this 3U CubeSat containing a smartphone payload that used advanced commercial off-the-shelf components © SSTL/Surrey Space Centre Three of the key and overlapping applications for space technology under remote control in the tough requirements too. Carbonite-1 has a are in the fields of earth observation, communications and physical conditions of space. terabyte of data storage on-board, fundamental science. But many of the technology and innovation and decisions have to be made early challenges that space technology companies face are related to The Carbonite-1 earth observation about data collection, storage and problems that would also be very familiar to earthbound engineering trial that SSTL launched as a transmission, Mr Wood said. The businesses. There is constant pressure on costs; there are demands to technology demonstrator is an question of how to miniaturise shorten the product development cycle and the time to launch; there example of this.
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