Six ESA BIC UK companies have been awarded funding from the UK Space Agency’s National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP). The successful projects will share a percentage of the £33 million investment from the UK Space Agency’s programme, designed to invest in high-potential technologies, drive innovation and unlock growth across the UK.

Lunasa Space and Orbit Fab (both Alumni)
It’s great to see partnership between two ESA BIC UK alumni companies, Lúnasa Space and Orbit Fab, this funding will support Lunasa to build and test technology to help satellites safely dock with one another, and Orbit Fab to develop a solution for satellite refuelling. This project is focused on co-engineering, integrating, and testing Lúnasa Space’s autonomous Rendezvous Proximity Operations (RPO) kit around Orbit Fab’s UK-built satellite docking and refuelling interface (GRASP).

During this development, Lúnasa will deploy its first space mission to validate its RPO Kit and perform a first-of-its-kind UK-built commercial satellite close proximity demonstration.

Orbit Fab have also received funding for: SPITFIRE (Servicing Propellant Interface Technology For In-orbit Refuelling Effectiveness), a project led by Orbit Fab in partnership with MDA Space and Robotics, and the University of Southampton. The project will develop a full high-pressure interface solution to flight qualification level. This will bring together all the critical elements of refuelling for a UK-developed pressure agnostic interface solution that could be used on all future Orbit Fab refuelling missions in the pipeline.

NSIP funding will support @LunasaSpace to build and test technology to help satellites safely dock with one another. 🛰️ ↔️ 🛰️

Hear from @LunasaSpace Founder and CEO, Amin Chabi 👇 pic.twitter.com/bK08vxxZR4— UK Space Agency (@spacegovuk) July 23, 2024

Orbit Fab are also part of a £1 million Kickstarter Project, led by Magdrive (Alumni) in partnership with Orbit Fab and the University of Southampton. This project will develop and scale up Magdrive’s plasma propulsion system – ‘SuperMagdrive’.

Super Sharp Space Systems (Alumni)
Super Sharp Space Systems have been awarded £5 million for their NSIP project: An in-orbit demonstration of an unfolding TIR space telescope for climate change mitigation.
Led by Super Sharp Space Systems in partnership with the University of Cambridge, the project will support the launch of an innovative, unfolding, thermal infrared (TIR) telescope into orbit for Earth Observation. The TIR telescope will collect data to drive positive action towards mitigating climate change.

Frontier Space Technologies (Current Incubatee)

‘Advanced Microscopy and Thermal Control Upgrades to the SpaceLab Microgravity Research System’ is a successful £560,000 Kickstarter project led by current ESA BIC UK incubatee, Frontier Space Technologies, in partnership with Cranfield University.

Frontier Space Technologies Ltd and Cranfield University will develop their SpaceLab, capable of conducting experiments in microgravity environments. Specific upgrades will significantly enhance capability for drug discovery and in orbit manufacture of high value products. Applications include pharmaceuticals, biosciences and material science.

Lodestar Space (Current Incubatee)
Lodestar Space’s successful £800,000 project, TARS-IOD: Flight-ready model for In-Orbit Demonstration of Tomorrow’s Astro-Robotic System, will develop a platform-agnostic modular robotic arm to perform contact dependent dynamic space operations. Intended for flight on Momentus’ Vigoride platform, the partnership also involves Growbotics and the University of Glasgow to equip the UK with sovereign capabilities for inspecting, protecting, and repairing vital assets beyond Earth. This NSIP project with be led by Lodestar Space in partnership with Momentus Space, Growbotics and University of Glasgow.

We are incredibly proud and excited to see the recognition of the hard work of our ESA BIC UK companies and look forward to following the progress of these innovative projects.

To view all successful projects, visit the UK Space Agency’s press release.