UKSA to boost commercial growth of UK space
Eighteen space businesses across the UK will get funding and support to accelerate their commercial growth.
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Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.
🚀 The UK Space Agency has launched its first programme to accelerate the commercial development of UK space. The Space Ecosystem Commercialisation Programme (SECP) will be delivered in partnership with six of the UK’s local space clusters and managed by the Midlands Aerospace Alliance:
‘The 18 organisations will each receive up to £30,000 to invest in technology development, market validation, and customer engagement. Participating businesses will also benefit from dedicated support from their space cluster leads – locally embedded sector experts - who bring a deep knowledge of supply chains, partnership opportunities, and insight into market demand for space-enabled services. This will enable them to refine their products and services in line with specific commercial opportunities, and establish new growth-driving partnerships within the UK’s connected space ecosystem.
Jon Hulks, Space Ecosystem Development Manager at the UK Space Agency, said:
The Space Ecosystem Commercialisation Programme harnesses the networks and expertise found across the UK’s space cluster network to drive local economic growth. Working together, we are enabling individual space companies to take the next step in their commercial journey and enhancing the unique capabilities and supply chain resilience that underpin the UK’s national space ecosystem.’
📱 In SpaceNews, Cailabs CEO Jean-François Morizur discusses the potential consequences of opening part of the X-band to 5G and 6G mobile networks. He argues that moving more data off radio frequencies altogether – for instance, by making use of lasercom – could relieve some of the spectrum pressure:
‘The international politics of spectrum allocation are now taking shape. Europe and the United States appear set to oppose opening up the X-band. Brazil and Mexico, by contrast, have signalled support for allowing the mobile networks in. Africa, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region have yet to nail their colours to any mast. That bloc of “undecideds” will likely determine the final outcome at WRC-27, when the binding decision will be made. Satellite operators are cautiously optimistic now; but when the financial might of the telecom sector is brought to bear on the situation, they might feel less so.
Whatever happens, the dispute itself represents a hinge moment. Spectrum has become a commodity: something industries are willing to fight over, something governments are tempted to monetize, something investors are prepared to spend eye-watering sums to secure. As competition heats up, the public-interest functions of spectrum risk being crowded out by private concerns. Earth monitoring is a vital public good that risks being set aside so that — to be vulgar — a handful of massive companies can make more money. No doubt in doing so they will be benefitting their customers. But in the long list of human wants and needs, wireless connectivity surely doesn’t come above disaster prediction and prevention, for example, or an effective defence from hostile countries.’
💸 In SpaceNews, Jeff Foust reports on a study showing the EU’s proposed Space Law could cost companies in Europe and the U.S. hundreds of millions:
‘The Progressive Policy Institute last week released a study it commissioned from London-based European Economics on the impacts of the proposed EU Space Act. The European Commission published a draft of the act in June and is currently reviewing public comments. …
The economic analysis relied on the European Commission’s own estimates of increased compliance costs. The commission projected that the act would increase the cost of manufacturing a satellite in Europe by 2% and a launch vehicle by 1%.
The study assumed companies would pass those costs on to customers through average price increases of 2.7%. Depending on price elasticity in each market segment, that could reduce demand by 1% to 13.6%. The resulting loss to European companies would be 245 million euros ($285 million) in annual revenue and 100 million euros in profits, the study concluded.’
🛰️ Europe will track drug traffickers from space using high-resolution satellites, reports POLITICO:
‘As gang networks evolve and drug traffickers constantly find new “loopholes” to bring their drugs into Europe, the EU and countries will work with customs, agencies and the private sector to better monitor and disrupt trafficking routes across land, sea or air.
This includes using the latest technologies and artificial intelligence to find drugs sent via mail, monitoring aviation and publishing its upcoming EU Ports Strategy for port security.
EU border security agency Frontex will get “state of the art resources,” said Brunner, including high-resolution satellites and drones.
“Drug traffickers use the latest technologies, which means we need innovation to beat them,” Brunner said. To stay up to date, the European Commission is establishing a Security and Innovation Campus to boost research and test cutting-edge technologies in 2026.
“We send the drug lords and their organizations a clear message: Europe is fighting back,” Brunner said.’
💰 SAR powerhouse ICEYE raised €150 million in its latest funding round, taking its overall valuation to €2.4 billion. Satellite Today reports:
‘“Europe’s security starts with sovereign space capability,” said lead investor General Catalyst’s head of Europe, Jeannette zu Fürstenberg. “Iceye enables that, with the world’s largest SAR constellation, software-defined satellites, and fully sovereign missions that put independent visibility back in Europe’s hands. Ministries and intelligence agencies can secure borders via on-demand imagery, while nations seeking full control can deploy their own turnkey satellite missions.”
Iceye has sold satellites to a number of European nations including the Polish Armed Forces, Portuguese Air Force, Royal Netherlands Air Force, Greek National Space Program, and Finnish Defence Forces, as well as a SAR data agreement with NATO Allied Command Operations.
Other investors included A.P. Moller Holding in Denmark, Bpifrance in France, Vinci (BGK Group) and RiO Family Office from Poland, as well as Finnish investors Solidium, Ilmarinen, European Tech Collective, Keva, Lifeline Ventures, Tesi, Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company, and Peter Sarlin.’
♻️ The Innovation News Network reports that space debris could be used as a resource that makes space greener and more sustainable:
‘To find out more about the EIC’s Space programme and its work around space debris sustainability, Editor Georgie Purcell spoke to Stela Tkatchova, Programme Manager for Space Systems at the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). …
“Projects planning to design and develop in-orbit-servicing vehicles, including innovative deorbiting, propulsion and capture technologies, may benefit from the advanced capabilities developed by other companies on space debris detection and recognition services. Through pro-active portfolio management, it will be possible to find solutions to address the growing complexity of space mission operations and, in the long-term, prepare new capabilities to mitigate the technology, operational, and market risks.
Programme managers at the EIC have a golden opportunity to perform proactive portfolio management and identify R&I project synergies. In the context of this portfolio, there will be three prime working groups: space debris mitigation and detection (WG1), space debris remediation (WG2), and in-space recycling (WG3). The projects choose themselves in which working group they see different synergies, and they discuss them with programme managers.”’
Great roundup of where the industry's heading. The X-band spectrum fight is especially intresting because it highlights the real tension between commercial telecom pressure and public-good applications like climate monitoring. £30k per company in the SECP seems modest, but if the value is really in the cluster network access and expertise rather than just the funding itself, that could be a smart model for fostering genuine ecosystem growth.