Science Minister Nusrat Ghani has unveiled a new £15 million fund for UK businesses to revolutionise satellite communications technology.
The competition, running until spring 2023, is open to organisations developing ambitious technologies across the satellite communications ecosystem.
It will prioritise customer needs, support sustainable growth and catalyse further investment into the UK space sector, which already employs 47,000 people.
Ideas can focus on creating entire new satellite constellations, ground systems, or delivering new services to customers, and will be funded through the UK Space Agency’s leading role in the European Space Agency (ESA) Advanced Research in Telecommunications Services (ARTES) programme.
The £15 million fund comes as a new report shows every £1 invested in ESA generates an overall return of £11.80 for the UK economy.