Dear Reader,
The heatwave hasn't slowed down activity in the Space South Central region - we hope you enjoy this month's round-up!
Space South Central was highlighted in the Space Partnership's new report, The Role and Impact of Academia on the UK Space Sector.
The University of Portsmouth's Jeremy Thomas breaks down the latest findings on Public Attitudes to Science, and what they mean for the space sector.
The UK Space Agency visited Surrey Research Park as part of an action plan to bolster resilience against threats targeting UK space and space-related companies.
Surrey Space Centre is leading a project to deliver the most detailed analysis of space weather using data from around the world, backed by £100,000 from the Natural Environment Research Council.
Last week saw the launch of The Smile Mission, a European Space and UCL project to produce images of the Earth's magnetosphere for the first time.
Scientists from the University of Portsmouth have solved the mystery of giant black holes in the early Universe.
Thank you for being part of the UK's most collaborative regional space community. Stay connected with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Ebony Desposito
Digital Marketing Officer
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Role and Impact of Academia
on the UK Space Sector
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Space South Central is featured in a report produced by know.space for Space Partnership regarding the role and impact of academia on the UK Space Sector.
The report states there are active space researchers in every region and devolved administration of the UK.
It also states that the Space South Central cluster demonstrates how the UK’s space academic base can act as a catalyst for regional growth through academia-industry networks. It breaks down our beginnings as the South Coast Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications, our transformation into Space South Central with our four partner universities, University of Portsmouth, University of Surrey, University of Southampton and UCL. As well as how we have delivered 5000+ hours of business support for 200+ space-related organisations.
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Public Attitudes to the Space Industry Revealed in the PAS 2025 Report
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Jeremy Thomas, Outreach and Public Engagement Fellow from the University of Portsmouth’s Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation has written a piece for Space South Central regarding the Public Attitudes to Space (PAS) studies.
For 25 years, the Public Attitudes to Science (PAS) studies have been the UK’s most high-profile surveys on public perceptions of science, taking place every three to five years since 2020. The latest survey was conducted in early 2025 and a report on its findings was commissioned by UKRI and published in January 2026.
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Surrey Research Park and UK Space Agency Strengthen Resilience across UK Space Supply Chain
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Surrey Research Park was delighted to welcome experts from the UK Space Agency’s National Security team at the end of April as part of proactive action to bolster resilience against threats targeting UK space and space-related companies.
The visit came at a pivotal time for the Park, as it continues to welcome new companies and support scaling up of space-led businesses operating and innovating at the forefront of technology within its Space Enterprise Quarter community.
It was the first time the UK Space Agency had delivered this specific resilience training to teams managing the operations, business ecosystem engagement and communications at a UK research park, operating at the heart of the UK’s space supply chain.
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Surrey to deliver most detailed analysis of space weather radiation storm using soil moisture sensors
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A spike in atmospheric radiation from a major solar flare in November 2025 was picked up by a global network of soil moisture sensors. Now, a new rapid-response research project led by the University of Surrey will analyse the data, offering fresh insight into how the impact of solar radiation storms varies across the Earth’s surface.
Backed by £100,000 from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), researchers at the Surrey Space Centre will collate data from these dense sensor networks across the UK, US, Germany and Australia to reconstruct the event in greater detail.
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Spacecraft lifts off on quest to image Earth’s shield for the first time
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A space mission proposed and co-led by UCL researchers, which will image the edge of Earth’s magnetic bubble for the first time, was launched today from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
The bubble, or magnetosphere, protects Earth from the solar wind – a continuous stream of charged particles released by the Sun. Without this shield, life on Earth would not survive.
The mission, called Smile (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer), will image this shield by detecting the X-rays that are emitted when charged particles smash into it.
The spacecraft will orbit 121,000 km above the north pole and so will be at a vantage point to map these X-rays across a large area of sky, providing the first ever complete look at how Earth’s magnetic field responds to the solar wind.
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Scientists solve mystery of giant black holes in the early Universe
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New simulation suggests the Universe’s earliest ‘overmassive’ black holes may have formed naturally.
Researchers have tackled one of the biggest mysteries in modern astronomy - explaining the origin of unusually large black holes found in some of the earliest galaxies in the Universe.
These ‘overmassive black hole galaxies (OBGs)’, discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope, appeared far earlier than expected and challenge existing theories of how black holes and galaxies formed and grew.
Scientists from the universities of Portsmouth and the United Arab Emirates have published a paper explaining how supermassive black holes emerged so quickly after the Big Bang, which could reshape our understanding of the earliest stages of galaxy evolution.
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Size and Health of the UK Space Industry 2025 Survey
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The ‘Size and Health of the UK Space Industry 2025’ survey is now officially open!
know.space conducts the survey on behalf of the UK Space Agency and the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation.
Helping to understand the performance and needs of the UK space sector. The data it produces shapes UK space strategy, policies, funding decisions, and the case for the UK as a global space nation. This can only happen when sector organisations participate by completing this streamlined industry survey.
If your organisation plays any role in the space supply chain or relies on satellite capabilities for your commercial offering or academic discovery, then this survey is relevant for you.
The survey is only 7 questions, so have your say in shaping the future of the sector.
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This is an exciting new pre-accelerator programme to help innovators, academics and entrepreneurs across Surrey explore whether turning an idea into a business is the right path.
It is geared towards people who have a business idea that they believe could be transformational and marketable, but are unsure how to take the first step or secure funding. These may be innovators who have  designs, prototypes or research that hasn’t yet reached its full revenue generating potential.
This exciting programme includes:
- A two-day, in-person ideation workshop
- Expert mentoring
- Opportunity to progress to a six-month accelerator
- Up to  £25,000 catalyst grant funding, for successful six-month accelerator participant
Spaces on the workshop are limited and will be offered to applicants whose ideas are at the right stage of development and show strong potential for innovation and commercialisation.
Applications for the summer cohort are now open and will close on 8th May 2026.
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2026 International Spacetech Startup Supporting Program
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As part of continued engagement with Taiwan, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and the TAcc+ International SpaceTech Program Space South Central wanted to highlight that the next TACC+ cohort is now live for potential submissions.
Space South Central are offering letters of support for this program.
This is a great way to engage with Taiwan’s space community with low commitment and an excellent dedicated support team.
To join the session contact Tobias Marchant at [email protected]
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On the 20th of July, SATRO are hosting a Space Day at Kings College Guildford.
SATRO are seeking people to support the delivery of an engaging, hands-on event for 120 Year 10 students. Helping them explore the exciting world of science, technology, engineering and maths through the lens of Space.
They are seeking organisations to deliver 45 minute workshops of groups of around 30 students in a classroom setting.
If you would like to get involved please email [email protected]
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I had the pleasure of hosting a workshop this month alongside Space South Central and NOC Innovations at National Oceanography Centre on the topic of Maritime Domain Awareness.
It was a real throw-back as 10 years ago, as part of the South Coast Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications, we hosted a workshop on the same very topic at NOC, where we spoke in very broad terms about what satellites could potentially provide in that domain. It was particularly rewarding to host this workshop a decade on which showed on how space-enabled systems are providing maritime domain awareness capabilities, particularly with several excellent ESA Space Solutions case studies to demonstrate that.
Key examples being:
Honeywell’s Helios Demonstration Project
https://business.esa.int/projects/helios
Sirius Insights’ Demonstration Project
https://business.esa.int/projects/siriusinsightr
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It was superb fun to work with the Space South Central team. Thank you to Charn Richardson, Elizabeth Clutton & Lorna Wagner for fun to work with, and a HUGE thank you to Sharon Jones for helping organise outstanding speakers.
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I do love an ESA Space Solutions portfolio spotlight. This is a favourite of mine from the Space South Central region:
IOT Trust+ Demonstration Project from Cyber Hive
IoTtrust+ provides users with a secure communication tunnel between remote devices and central control systems. The software verifies that only authorized applications—not malware or compromised software—can send or receive data. All communications are encrypted using quantum-resistant algorithms, protecting against both current and future threats.
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The Arctic Region: Environmental and Economic Resilience
Deadline: Thursday, 4th June 2026
This is a sub‑call to the Arctic Region funding call and supports the development of space‑enabled services addressing environmental protection and climate resilience in the Arctic region.
It focuses on monitoring, protecting and strengthening Arctic ecosystems together with economically critical activities such as fisheries and aquaculture, which are increasingly exposed to climate change, pollution and growing maritime pressure.
The objective is to enable services that support environmental monitoring, risk reduction, decision‑making and sustainable resource management in the Arctic and sub‑Arctic regions.
Read more here.
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UK Defence Innovation: Map the Gap (Phase 3)
Deadline: Tuesday, 16th June 2026
UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) is pleased to launch a new Themed Competition called Map the Gap (Phase 3) . Run on behalf of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) in partnership with the British Army, this competition seeks proposals that can remotely assess terrain stability and riverine measurements to support safe and rapid traversing of land forces.
Read more here.
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Advanced manufacturing supply chain innovation: CRD
Deadline: Wednesday, 20th June 2026
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest up to £6.5 million into supply chain innovation projects. This is subject to a sufficient number of high-quality applications being received.
The aim of this competition is to support collaborative industrial research projects to explore innovative ways of making supply chains more productive, resource efficient and resilient.
Read more here.
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Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP): 2026 – 2027 Round 2
Deadline: Wednesday, 24th June 2026
The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme allows a UK registered business to partner with a UK higher/further education institution, research and technology organisation (RTO) or Catapult, for a 12-36 month project bringing academic expertise into business.
The KTP partnership brings new skills and the latest academic thinking into the business partner to deliver a specific, strategic innovation project. The knowledge base partner (HE or FE education institution, RTO or Catapult) recruits the ‘associate’ to work on the project. The associate has the opportunity to lead a strategic development within the business, developing new skills and gaining valuable experience.
Read more here.
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Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) Open Call for Innovation
Deadline: Wednesday, 1st July 2026
The Open Call is looking for innovative ideas to improve the defence and security of the UK. Your idea could be a concept, product or service, at various levels of maturity.
Read more here.
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Orbit South Central: May 2026
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On Wednesday 24th June 2026, Space South Central is delighted to host our monthly networking event, Orbit South Central at the University of Southampton Science Park.
Created with the aim of connecting key players in the UK space industry and providing an opportunity to discover the region’s space-related activities, whilst discussing the sector on both a local and national level. Our monthly networking events are an occasion in which we can meet to share our knowledge and skills. A chance to hear the latest news, and funding opportunities whilst listening to experts across the sector share their thoughts and ideas.
Speakers include:
- Alex Lee from Firefly
- Kate Beresford from AXIS Ventures (Space)
- Meg Carter from AtkinsRéalis
Sign up here.
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Southampton Space Photonics Day
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The day will provide insight to industry into the University of Southampton’s photonics and optics for different space applications.
The day is for photonics companies and is designed to provide an introduction to the Southampton Space Institute and to highlight to industry our Photonics research; the Optoelectronics Research Centre and our world famous Cleanroom facilities, including the Cornerstone photonics foundry, where space photonics technologies are manufactured.
After a networking lunch there will be an ‘industry meets research’ session, where companies can meet photonics researchers face to face through a ‘speed dating’ activity. The day will round off with a recap on the links that have been made and a summary of potential collaborations we can follow up on. It promises to be a lively and proactive day with plenty of discussion and networking opportunities built in.
Sign up here.
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Space Data For National Resilience - a London Climate Action Week Workshop
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An outcomes-focused workshop of real-world challenges / problem statements looking for space-based data solutions, for end users & experts
Join this free workshop to meet experts from across industry, policy and academia to hear about current and emerging technology, tools and platforms that address real-world challenges of UK resilience and environmental security across all sectors - including yours.
Sign up here.
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Farnborough International Airshow - 2026
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Held biennially at the Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre in Hampshire, England, this premier event offers unparalleled opportunities to forge new connections, engage with thought leaders, and be part of transformative change in aerospace, aviation, space, and defence sectors.
Taking place 20-24 July 2026, Farnborough International Airshow 2026 will host leading innovators from the aerospace, space, aviation and defence industries and beyond, to showcase the latest innovations.
Find out more here.
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Want to become a member of the Space South Central regional space cluster?
Join our growing community of innovators, investors, researchers and space‑enabled businesses. As a member, you’ll gain access to dedicated support, curated opportunities, and a powerful regional network.
Get involved and help shape the future of the South Central space economy.
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The UK space sector is a vibrant ecosystem comprising diverse stakeholder communities, renowned for numerous innovative and globally recognised projects and programmes. However, the sector has traditionally lacked a cohesive systems approach to unite these varied forces and foster collaboration towards a shared vision for the future.
The Space Enterprise Community (SEC) platform has been designed to help address this challenge and support the UK Space Ecosystem to connect and thrive, offering users a selection of tools, resources and groups that connect stakeholders from different communities to enable collaboration while providing support and real-time updates on the latest news, events and opportunities.
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As part of the Satellite Applications Catapult’s national network of 15 Space Enterprise Labs across the UK, facilities in Guildford (Surrey Research Park) and London (IDEALondon) provide a critical platform for businesses and researchers to accelerate space innovation.
As physical anchors for the UK Space Ecosystem and complementing the Space Enterprise Community platform, the Space Enterprise Labs (SELs) bring communities together, both locally and nationally.
They include free access to resources, virtual demonstrations and expertise, as well as technology including:
- Large interactive touch screens and virtual canvas with full connectivity capabilities, enabling seamless delivery of meetings, business support sessions, capability demonstrations, and opportunity development workshops.
- Video conferencing licenses and professional webcams to run high-quality webinars and engage the community.
- Virtual Reality Headsets for demonstrations of space capability (1-on-1 or at events) such as the bespoke Virtual Reality Satellite 101 demonstration featuring the launch, deployment, and operation of a satellite.
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