NEWS3 February 2026
Surrey’s space ecosystem took to the global stage at the weekend (30th / 31st January) as companies, academia and students came together at Surrey Research Park in Guildford for the UK heat of Act In Space 2026, the 24-hour global innovation challenge.
The worldwide competition was backed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the French Space Agency (CNES) with support from industry partners including Airbus, which has a presence at the Park. During the event, teams were supported by expert mentors to develop solutions to real-world, unsolved space challenges.
The final stage of the UK heat saw teams pitch their start-up concept, based on their proposed solution, to a panel of world-class space experts in a Dragons’ Den-style session. The teams were competing for the chance to win a once-in -a-lifetime zero-gravity flight and support to launch their innovative start-up.
All participants benefited from access to the Park’s space business community and wider ecosystem, with mentors’ input spanning satellite engineering, consultancy and commercialisation, including support from Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), isardSAT, Actica Consulting and Venner Shipley.
This weekend’s UK heat also showcased the depth of expertise across Surrey’s wider space ecosystem and the strength of collaboration made possible through the University’s role within the Space South Central cluster – the UK’s largest regional space cluster.
UK heat winner: IRONSTAR advances with debris risk-pricing approach
The overall UK heat winner was IRONSTAR (Sundaresh Sundaragopal, Pietro De Rigo Piter and Vasil Pachedzhiev). The team proposed a new approach to space debris-risk pricing aimed at protecting space assets, with potential relevance for operators and insurers seeking better ways to quantify risk exposure.
As UK heat winners, IRONSTAR are now a step closer to the ultimate prize at the global finals, a zero-gravity flight, and the chance to progress their start-up concept based on the idea developed during the challenge. The team will represent the UK at the global finals in Bordeaux, France, in April.
Other Projects Recognised by Judges
Judges also recognised several teams with follow-on opportunities designed to accelerate development and deepen sector engagement:
- Team Open Orbit Labs secured a six-month incubation with SETsquared Surrey at Surrey Research Park.
- Design in Defence received delegate packages to attend next month’s SpaceComm conference in London, provided by Space South Central, enabling direct access to networking and industry insights.
- Event Horizon was awarded a tour of SSTL to deepen exposure to operational Earth observation programmes.
- “Team TBD” received an opportunity to visit the national space facilities at Harwell, to better understand relevant infrastructure and test environments.
World-class judging panel
At the end of the 24 hours, teams pitched to a panel of industry and academic experts, including Professor Adam Amara, who serves as both Chief Scientist at the UK Space Agency and Founding Director of the Surrey Space Institute.
Professor Amara said: “It’s been incredible. I’m really blown away by the level of innovation that we’ve seen. These young people have only had 24 hours to work on a problem, and what you see is a lot of energy, a lot of excitement, and a huge diversity of ideas coming through.
“Everything from insurance solutions for space debris to trying to tackle malaria. The fact that Surrey, including Surrey Research Park, and UCL have managed to work together so closely to put this together on such a quick timescale, I think really shows how well we’ve developed our collaboration. It’s great, and I’d like us to offer more and more of this to our space community.”
Caroline Fleming, Director of the Surrey Innovation District and Lead at Surrey Research Park, said: “It was an honour and privilege to host the UK heat of Act In Space 2026 and fly the flag for the UK and put Surrey on the global stage. This competition perfectly captures the essence of Surrey Research Park; bringing together innovators and world-class experts, developing cutting-edge skills and providing an innovation hub for businesses and a launchpad to the future.
“So many of the ideas we saw had the potential to become viable businesses. This is only the beginning, and we’re eager to see teams take their concepts forward towards the next generation of space businesses.”
A huge thank you to everyone at the Park who supported this exciting initiative:
Including: Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) Airbus, isardSAT, Venner Shipley, Lodestar Space, Actica Consulting, Wren Junction, Theta Systems, European Space Agency – ESA Space South Central and University of Surrey Surrey Research Park Adam Amara and UCL Innovation & Enterprise.
