Space South Central Newsletter🌎

Made Smarter South-East: Powering the Next Wave of Space Innovation

Southern England is fast becoming the UK’s launchpad for upstream space innovation, and the Made Smarter South-East programme is accelerating that trajectory for ambitious space SMEs. With £1.55 million in government funding and a powerful regional partnership behind it, Made Smarter South-East is transforming how manufacturing and engineering businesses, including those at the cutting edge of space build, satellite manufacture, payload, and sensor development, embrace digital technology.

Company Spotlight: EECL

A London-based RF specialist has become one of the UK’s most trusted suppliers of space-qualified hardware.

Founded in 2016 by Dr Ben Kieniewicz, EECL began as a one-person consultancy and has since grown into a high-performing engineering company with a global customer base and a reputation for delivering complex RF and microwave systems.

With a background spanning BAE Systems, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), and Teledyne, Ben brought a wealth of hands-on experience to the business. The turning point came with an early consultancy contract for Airbus OneWeb, which gave him the capital and confidence to invest in his own high-end specialised equipment essential for high-precision manufacturing and testing.

Depictions of the Milky Way found in Ancient Egyptian imagery

An interest in understanding the role that the Milky Way played in Egyptian culture and religion has led University of Portsmouth Associate Professor of Astrophysics, Dr Or Graur to uncover what he thinks may be the ancient Egyptian visual depiction of the Milky Way.

Various Egyptian gods are either associated with, symbolise, or directly embody certain celestial objects. In his study, Dr Graur reviewed 125 images of the sky-goddess Nut (pronounced ‘Noot’), found among 555 ancient Egyptian coffins dating back nearly 5,000 years. 

Combining astronomy with Egyptology, he analysed whether she could be linked to the Milky Way and his findings are now published in the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage.

UK firm to land Mars rover with UCL-built ‘eyes’

University of Surrey Hosts Groundbreaking 'Mission Sustainable' Workshop on Earth-Space Sustainability

On May 21, 2025, the University of Surrey hosted the 'Mission Sustainable' workshop, uniting leaders in law, policy, and industry to explore how sustainability can be embedded in all human activities, from Earth to outer space. Supported by several research institutes, the event aimed to advance interdisciplinary research and collaboration.

Dr. Feja Lesniewska, workshop coordinator, opened by emphasizing the need to address interconnected sustainability challenges for Earth-space activities. Chief Scientist for the UK Space Agency, Professor Adam Amara, chaired the opening panel, focusing on the role of science and technology in mitigating the environmental impacts of space expansion.

Dr. Colin Baldwin, Executive Director of UKspace, highlighted the need for a unified national strategy and cross-sector collaboration for sustainable space practices. Aarti Holla-Maini, Director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, contributed a video message on international cooperation.

The workshop featured panels on space law, sustainable finance, and diplomacy, along with breakout sessions for practical strategy development. The event underscored the region's leadership in sustainability research and its commitment to global collaboration for a sustainable future beyond Earth.

The report will be published in July 2025.

Multiple Access Communications Limited joins more than 2,000 UK companies to become Employee-Owned

Spaceflux announce successful delivery of UK's first sovereign short-wave infrared (SWIR) space surveillance testbed

Space South Central member, Spaceflux, has announced the successful delivery of the UK's first sovereign short-wave infrared (SWIR) space surveillance testbed.

Developed under contract with Dstl, this advanced dual-band optical system enables 24/7 detection, tracking, and characterisation of satellites and debris across all orbital regimes, overcoming the limitations of traditional optical systems.

Key capabilities include:

• Day and night tracking with SWIR imaging 
• Full spectrophotometric characterisation (0.4 – 1.7 microns) 
• Integration with real-time analytics platform, CORTEX, for rapid tasking and intelligence  
• Fully deployed on time and within budget, reinforcing UK sovereign SSA 

Helyx announce partnership with University of Portsmouth for new feasibility study

Helyx is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a contract by the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme to undertake a Feasibility Study on the Concept of Earth Observation Digital Twins (EODTs) for Crises: Utility & Transport Networks.

Funding has been secured through ESA’s Space in Response to Humanitarian Crises (SiRtHC) thematic call, which will enable Helyx and the University of Portsmouth (UoP) to work together in using Earth Observation (EO) data to define and update Digital Twins (DTs) of utility and transport networks, with minimal dependence on in-situ resources. The ability to build and maintain up-to-date DTs of these critical networks remotely and rapidly will be invaluable in responding to natural and technological crises.

The partnership between Helyx and the University of Portsmouth represents the best of British industry and academia combining their diverse and complementary experience and expertise to overcome some of the biggest challenges facing modern society.

King’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation

Ramon.Space Awarded Eutelsat OneWeb Contract to Provide Cutting-Edge Satellite Onboard Digital Channelizers

Ramon.Space, a leading provider of space-resilient computing systems, has been awarded a contract by Eutelsat to provide onboard digital communication channelizers for the expansion of its OneWeb Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation. This deal marks a significant milestone for Eutelsat OneWeb’s LEO satellites constellation maintenance and is the result of a multi-year collaboration between the two companies.

Under the contract, Ramon.Space will initially supply 70 flight sets of its digital communication channelizer systems, based on its NuComm product line, over the coming months. These will upgrade Eutelsat OneWeb’s existing analog channelizers, which are expected to be integrated into the satellites and launched starting at the end of 2026. The contract also provides the optionality for additional systems.

Hello, 

It’s been a sunny month, filled with lots of applications, and I must say, the range of innovative technology I see never ceases to impress. We’ve also had an excellent month within the UK BASS team, seeing a suite of successful BASS applications proceed to outline proposal! Well done applicants…keep up the good work!

This month I had the pleasure of attending the ABP Energy Ventures Accelerator Expo at the Royal Institution in London. We heard some interesting talks from ABP, Great British Energy and Bloomberg, to name a few. The event explored how corporations are seeking to deploy novel technologies and decarbonise their supply chains. This is a timely event, as Marine and Maritime decarbonisation is a key priority for ESA!

This week I attended Orbit in Surrey. It was great to hear three fantastic speakers and I particularly liked Amelia Space Technologies describing their new space intelligence platform. I’m looking forward to next month’s Orbit event at Southampton Tech Park.

I will also be attending Reset Connect – Net Zero, in London on the 24th June. This promises to be a very exciting event. 

Now for ESA-themed calls;

Closing soon - Space for Insurance Technology

This opportunity offers funding to European teams interested in developing services integrating technology solutions to the insurance sector. The European Space Agency (ESA) will provide funding for six-month feasibility studies known as ‘Kick-Starts’, which can lead to larger-scale projects and pilots. Kick-Starts are funded at 75% by ESA, up to a maximum of €75K per contract. 

Closing soon - Green Hydrogen as a sustainable energy source

This Invitation to Tender invites proposals for feasibility studies for services that explore innovative uses of space technology to advance green hydrogen as a sustainable energy source. This study aims to leverage satellite communication (SatCom), satellite Earth observation (SatEO), and satellite navigation (SatNav) to support green hydrogen production, storage, and distribution. The focus is on evaluating practical applications of green hydrogen across multiple sectors, including:

• Energy

• Transportation

• Maritime

• Smart cities 

This funding call is for a feasibility study only. 

*ESA will co-fund 80% of the acceptable cost, up to €200K, per awarded study.

Newly Launched - Advanced agricultural monitoring and management solutions

Agricultural monitoring and management are essential for sustainable farming practices and regulatory compliance. Innovative solutions leveraging space technology can enhance crop classification, soil property mapping, greenhouse gas emission reduction, and afforestation monitoring. The growing market for these solutions is driven by increasing food demand, precision farming techniques, and technologies like AI, IoT, and big data, which enable real-time monitoring and optimised resource allocation

The Advanced Agricultural Monitoring and Management Solutions initiative focuses on leveraging space technology to enhance various aspects of agricultural management. Key topics include:

• Crop Classification

•  Soil Property Mapping

•  Greenhouse Gas Emission Mapping

•  Peatland Delineation

•  Afforestation Monitoring 

•  Bare Soil and Plant Cover Ratio 

•  Catch Crop Monitoring

•  Grazing Activity Detection

• Management of Buffer Zones Surrounding Water Bodies

•  Risk Assessment

ESA will co-fund 50% of the acceptable cost, up to €500K for feasibility study or, €5M for a Demonstration project, per awarded study.

Coming very soon - Coastal resilience to climate change

Please sign up for the webinar online to find out more about this upcoming call.

ESA invites companies to participate in the Coastal Resilience to Climate Change initiative. This opportunity aims to support the development of innovative services that leverage space technology to address the challenges posed by climate change to coastal cities, rural coastal regions, and ports.

Here are some examples of potential services that could be developed under this initiative:

• Monitoring and Early Warning Systems

• Monitoring Coastal Erosion and Sea-Level Rise

• Water and Ecosystem Management

• Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

• Urban and Infrastructure Planning

• Adapting Coastal Agriculture

• Disaster Response and Recovery

• Nature-Based Solutions (NBS)

• Port Solutions

• Tourism

• Insurance

• Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD

ESA will co-fund 50% of the acceptable cost, up to €500K for feasibility study or, €5M for a Demonstration project, per awarded study.

For further enquiries, feel free to email me at [email protected] and reach out with any questions. 
For funding visit ESA Business Funding. If you’re interested in the ESA BASS open call, please see Direct Negotiation.

Green hydrogen as a sustainable energy source

Deadline: Friday, 6th June 2025

This Invitation to Tender invites proposals for feasibility studies for services that explore innovative uses of space technology to advance green hydrogen as a sustainable energy source. This study aims to leverage satellite communication (SatCom), satellite Earth observation (SatEO), and satellite navigation (SatNav) to support green hydrogen production, storage, and distribution.

Read more here. 

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Space for Insurance Technology

Deadline: Monday, 9th June 2025

This ‘Space for Insurance Technology’ opportunity offers funding to European teams interested in developing services integrating technology solutions to the insurance sector. The European Space Agency (ESA) will provide funding for six-month feasibility studies known as ‘Kick-Starts’, which can lead to larger-scale projects and pilots. Kick-Starts are funded at 75% by ESA, up to a maximum of €75K per contract. Proposed services must use satellite data or space-based technologies. Please see the ‘authorisation of funding’ section below to verify your team’s eligibility.

Read more here. 

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Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP): 2025 – 2026 Round 2

Deadline: Wednesday, 11th June 2025

The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme allows a UK registered business or not for profit organisation 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 (which can be a business or not-for-profit organisation) 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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International Bilateral Fund – Call 2

Deadline: Monday, 7th July 2025
 

The UK Space Agency (UKSA) invites proposals for projects through the second iteration of the International Bilateral Fund (IBF) that will help strengthen the UK space sector’s international partnerships. The objectives of the IBF are to:    

• Build stronger relationships with international partnerships, cementing our place as a trusted space partner of choice;
• Contribute to economic growth by driving UK space sector inward investment and exports; and
• Leverage international partnerships to develop priority UK capabilities.

The latest list of open and intended ESA and Non-ESA ITTs is now available and published on ESA STAR. This includes all contracts currently open for bids, as well as those in the intended phase prior to publication. All opportunities listed are accessible to UK companies, though some caveats may apply.

Read more here. 

Orbit South Central - June 2025

CySpace CCN UK Cyber and Space Domain Awareness Capability Mapping Workshops

UK Space Conference - 2025

Satellite Ground Segment Conference (SSGS)

The Satellite industry’s only exclusively Ground Segment-focused conference and exhibition returns to London in October (8th and 9th). Organisers Satellite Evolution Group and TalkSatellite are inviting companies and organisations from Space South Central to get involved.

The inaugural Strategies in Satellite Ground Segment conference (SSGS), was held in London last September and was a resounding success, drawing industry leaders, innovators, and key stakeholders from across the satellite communications sector. The conference provided a platform for in-depth discussions on the latest advancements, challenges, and future directions in satellite ground segment technologies. Companies and organisations involved included the Ministry of Defence, Airbus, the European Defence Agency, the European Space Agency, UK Space Agency the GSMA and many more.

SSGS is happy to hear and invite either individual Space South Central members or groups of companies wanting to become involved. Speaking submissions or panel suggestions are welcome and in addition to cost-effective exhibition stand prices, there are a range of sponsorship offerings.

Visit https://www.ssgsconference.com for more information.

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.

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.