The continuing space journey

It’s said that it’s not the destination, but the journey that matters. As we start a new year and reflect on the last, I’m reminded just how important the journey is, now matter how cosmically exciting and valuable the destination.

I was on the road for an extended period before Christmas, travelling first to Dubai for COP28: reaffirming the UK’s commitment and leadership on sustainability in space, championing the power of Earth Observation to tackle the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, and promoting the importance of standard setting via the TRUTHS mission and on methane monitoring. From Dubai I went on to Sydney, for the 16th Australia Space Forum, and Canberra for meetings with the Australian Space Agency and government officials, then on to Paris for the European Space Agency (ESA) Council.

Combining these three trips made for a busy schedule, but reduced the total miles in the air and the carbon footprint that separate visits would have meant. And while these have been physical travels, they also represent the journey we are on together with our international partners and friends – advancing space for good, for all.

As I look back at the achievements of last year, I’m proud of how far we’ve come as the UK Space Agency. From first launch at Spaceport Cornwall in early January, which was a culmination of a massive team effort and proved we can launch from the UK even though the satellites did not reach orbit, to announcing ￡50 million for ESA’s Moonlight programme for a satellite constellation around the Moon in 2028.

From the unveiling of the Astra Carta by His Majesty the King demonstrating our commitment to space sustainability, to promoting the first 32 projects from the International Bilateral Fund, announcing our ￡65 million National Space Innovation Programme and our ￡50 million Space Clusters and Infrastructure Fund.

By the start of the summer we had seen the launch of the JUICE mission to Jupiter and its icy moons and the Euclid mission to study dark matter and energy, both with UK instruments on board. In bounced JoeySat with its beam-hopping ability helping to improve broadband connectivity, followed by MANTIS with its innovative nanosatellite platform that will fly a high-resolution Earth Observation camera.

More recently, we signed an MoU with Axiom Space for a potential UK astronaut mission, and announced major industry contracts to deliver the next phase of the TRUTHS climate mission.

And, throughout the year, we were building strong relationships with partners and stakeholders at events like the UK Space Conference, Space-Comm Expo, and Space Symposium.

What I’m most proud of is how the whole of the Agency, and the UK space sector as a whole, pulled together – the exceptional delivery and teamwork. We have been on a journey as an organisation and much of this work takes place away from the spotlight. We’ve clarified our purpose: protecting the Earth and space environments, building prosperity, and expanding the knowledge frontiers. We’ve made great strides in transforming into a more delivery-focused organisation that is a great place to work. We’ve also welcomed some amazing new colleagues to the Agency, and if one of your New Year resolutions is to find a new job , please do take a look at our current vacancies and apply to join us on our journey.

Space is a team sport, and none of the above would be possible without the tenacity and teamwork of our people across the Agency, the support of our colleagues across government, the wealth of talent across the UK space industry and academia, and our partners across the world. When we pull together, we succeed together.

But we also know that, just like in sport, things can happen that our outside of our control. We can do everything right, but still not reach the finish line. 2024 has started with such an occasion, as the Peregrine Lunar Lander suffered an anomaly after what looked like a very successful launch on Monday. The UK teams involved in the PITMS instrument, from the Open University and RAL Space did their jobs and showcased UK expertise, but space can be cruel sometimes. The transparency that Astrobotic has shown is impressive to see. As a space team, we pick ourselves up, and go again.

There is a huge amount to look forward to in 2024. From the first vertical launches from Scotland, to making the most of the UK re-joining the Copernicus programme. We have upcoming funding calls related to the brand new Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit (C-LEO) programme and our ongoing work with Axiom Space. We’ll be announcing the first projects from our ￡65 million National Space Innovation Programme, and we’re getting on with delivering the projects announced in November from the Space Clusters Infrastructure Fund. ?

Thank you to everyone across the space sector who made 2023 such a great year. Our journey continues together in 2024, and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together.