Agency
13/03/2026
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The European Space Agency joined hundreds of start-ups and scale-ups last week at a space industry conference in the UK, showcasing its efforts to boost European success in the global space economy. Â Â
Space-Comm Expo Europe was attended by 200 speakers, 250 exhibitors and 5400 space leaders, including representatives from ESA, the UK Space Agency and NASA.Â
Panel session on space-enabled solutions
In the event’s opening address, the UK Space Agency announced new financial support for its national space activities, covering areas such as telecoms, access to space, and in-orbit manufacturing. This national funding is in addition to the ESA contributions the UK committed last year at ESA’s Ministerial Council, which included significant support to the agency’s commercialisation activities. Â
ESA’s presence at the expo centred on enabling commercial innovation.
The agency and its partners showcased different elements of its ScaleUp activities within its ACCESS programme, which helps start-ups, scale-ups and established businesses to develop space‑related products and services for both space and non‑space markets.
ESA Technology Broker at Space-Comm Expo Europe
The agency’s presence included a stand hosted jointly by the ESA Business Incubation Centre UK (ESA BIC UK) and the ESA Phi-Lab UK, both part of the DeepTech Catalyst operated by UK Research and Innovation-Science and Technology Facilities Council (UKRI-STFC).
The ESA BIC UK – comprising locations at Harwell Campus, Sci-Tech Daresbury, The Higgs Centre for Innovation Edinburgh and Space Park Leicester – is part of a wider European network that supports fledgling companies as they work to bring ambitious space-connected ideas to market.
UKRI-STFC representatives welcomed several current incubatees to the joint stand to discuss their work. These firms included space debris removal specialist Paladin Space, digital transformation firm Sutherland Systems Engineering Enterprise, and thermal insulation company Blue Neptune.
During the expo, it was announced that ESA BIC UK alumnus Lúnasa Space, which specialises in technology for autonomous spacecraft rendezvous and proximity operations, was acquired by in-orbit serving company Infinite Orbits.
Acquisition of ESA BIC UK alumnus announced
2024 ESA BIC UK graduate Lúnasa has grown rapidly in the past two years, with its acquisition demonstrating the result of the success facilitated by the incubation centre.
Other Space-Comm Expo highlights include ESA-Phi Lab UK announcing the launch of its second open call. Implemented by UKRI-STFC as part of ESA’s ScaleUp activities, ESA PhiLab UK bridges the gap between research and commercialisation, focusing on environmental sustainability, space sustainability and space resilience. The second open call, inviting research ideas in these areas, is accepting proposals until 15 May 2026.
In addition, several ESA representatives participated panel sessions across the event, highlighting activities such as space-enabled solutions for energy, climate, transport and infrastructure, and cutting-edge optical and quantum technologies for satellite communication.
Space-Comm Expo Europe was held on 4 and 5 March at the ExCel conference centre in London.
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