Shruti Gautam
TLDR:
- UK Space Agency (UKSA) opens two new funding calls worth £15 million for science and technology demonstrators.
- The calls are in preparation for a potential UK astronaut mission to the International Space Station.
The UK Space Agency has opened two new funding calls worth £15 million for science and technology demonstrators in preparation for a potential UK astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The calls aim to support UK-based researchers in designing and executing scientific research leveraging microgravity and the space environment. Proposals can come from any research area, but the Agency encourages alignment with national space strategy goals, the UK Science and Technology Framework, and research priorities identified by UK Research and Innovation.
The technology demonstrator call will support the UK’s exploration sector to test innovative technologies in a space environment. UKSA is particularly interested in technologies that align with national space capability goals and critical technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Engineering Biology, Future Telecommunications, Semiconductors, and Quantum Technologies. Annelies Look, UK Space Agency’s Deputy CEO, highlighted the importance of these funding calls to keep the UK space sector at the forefront of scientific discovery and technological innovation.
The funding calls come after a Memorandum of Understanding signed between UKSA and Axiom Space in October 2023 outlining plans for a commercially-sponsored UK astronaut mission. The announcement is a significant step towards realizing the mission and advancing UK’s presence in space exploration.
