Jason Ford

NSTP provides funding to drive British innovation in cubesats

News

Sixteen UK space labs and companies are set to benefit from the latest round of the UK Space Agency’s National Space Technology Programme (NSTP).

Support from the NSTP is expected to drive innovation in cubesats, which are small, low-cost spacecraft — weighing only a few kilos — that can be launched on larger spacecraft.

According to the UK Space Agency, many of today’s cubesats are helping students to hone practical skills in building and operating satellites. However, with advances in technology, many people believe they will also be used for advanced science or operational uses in the future.

Eleven new research projects, supported by £310,000 of grants from the NSTP, will drive the next steps in British cubesat innovation.

Dr Chris Castelli, programme manager at the UK Space Agency, said: ‘We received 30 proposals to our recent competition and have now selected the best ones to fund.

‘We’ve got a great range of ideas — from new technology such as wireless on-board monitoring and tiny thrusters to give cubesats their own manoeuvring capability to practical uses such as bioscience and space-weather monitoring.

Register now to continue reading

Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.  

Benefits of registering

  • In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends

  • Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year

  • Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox

Register
Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address