£1.2 million to help the UK make space safer

UK companies and research organisations can apply for up to a £200,000 funding to develop technologies and data processing capabilities …
£1.2 million to help the UK make space safer
Image: Artist’s impression of space debris around Earth (ESA)

Edinburgh, 10 August, 2021. – UK companies and research organisations can apply for up to a £200,000 funding to develop technologies and data processing capabilities to help reduce space debris.

Orbital congestion and space debris have become infrastructure and potentially life-threatening problems. About 95% of the objects tracked orbiting our planet is space junk. This means around 130 million pieces of debris compared to the 3,000 working satellites in orbit. Sizes of useless debris orbiting Earth range from a speck of paint to the size of a school bus.

Space Tech Expo Bremen - Banner

These old satellites, spent rocket bodies, and tools dropped by astronauts travel at 28,164 kilometres per hour. Space junk the size of a mobile phone travelling at this speed could wipe out life on the ISS. Space debris is also obstructing astronomical observations from Earth as well as being hazardous for infrastructure.

As our planet’s atmospheric drag cannot keep up with the increasing number of satellites launched from Earth, it is not enough to clear LEO from space debris. Also, collisions in space can create further fragments (Kessler effect). Everyday services such as communications, bank transfers and satellite navigation could be affected among others.

The joint initiative from the UK Space Agency’s National Space Technology Programme (NSTP) and Space, Surveillance and Tracking Programme (SST) aims to help bolster the UK’s capabilities to track, monitor, and remove space debris.

The deadline for applications is midday on 25th August 2021.

Picture of SpaceWatch.GLOBAL
SpaceWatch.GLOBAL
Continue Reading
Business Club - Thank You
Join BusinessClub
SWGL FanShop

Don't Miss Any Updates

NEWSLETTER

Subscribe now to receive the best of space insights directly in your inbox! Free of charge, finished in just 20 seconds!
* Required
Email
Contact
Newsletter
Please select the newsletter of your choice *

Yes, I would like to receive the selected newsletters for free.

You can unsubscribe anytime via the link in our emails or by contacting us. We respect your information. For details, check our Privacy Policy.
By clicking below, you agree to our terms, in particular the transfer of data to Mailchimp.
.