On 10th June, Britain’s space ambitions received a significant boost as government funding was announced to support innovative space technologies. The plan focuses on making manufacturing in space easier, improving the process to bring materials back to Earth, and strengthening space infrastructure to keep orbit safe and sustainable. More precisely, the UK Space Agency package totals over £19 million for early-stage and developing companies, with more than half dedicated to Cardiff-based Space Forge amid other investments designed to attract private capital.
Space Forge will receive £10 million. The funding supports its work in in-space manufacturing, which uses microgravity to produce materials, including semiconductors, with fewer defects and greater uniformity than is possible on Earth. The grant comes from an increased UK Space Agency investment in the European Space Agency’s General Support Technology Programme (GSTP). It backs a mission to design, build, launch, and return Pridwen, Space Forge’s deployable and reusable heat shield system for spacecraft re-entry. Pridwen is designed to unfold during re-entry to provide a large protective surface. This approach aims to shield the spacecraft from extreme heat and pressure while reducing weight and making reuse more feasible. The mission is described as a step toward commercial readiness, enabling safer and more reliable returns of space payloads, which is seen as essential for expanding in-space manufacturing.
Space Minister Liz Lloyd said:
Today’s government-funded investment in Space Forge shows our commitment to keeping Britain at the forefront of the fast-growing space sector. Space Forge is developing technology that could revolutionise in-space manufacturing.
Our wider investment is also helping more British space businesses grow, bring in private backing and create high-skilled jobs across the country. That is how we build a stronger space sector and keep the UK one of the best places in the world to start and scale a space business.
Besides the Space Forge investment, £9.25 million is being directed to early-stage UK space companies through the UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund (UKI2S), managed by Future Planet Capital. This brings the Space Portfolio total to £22 million. The extra funding is intended to help high-potential space businesses grow and attract more private investment, supporting jobs and regional growth.
The UKI2S Space Portfolio has already shown results, with more than £17 million in private investment attracted so far and a return of about £5.90 in private funding for every £1 of public money. Three new deals this year have secured over £10 million in additional private backing for work aimed at improving space safety, navigation, and security. Examples include Silicon Microgravity, which develops precise sensors for navigation and defence; Optera, which produces space-tracking sensors and recently relocated to the UK; and Spaceflux, which monitors satellites and debris to enhance space safety. Additional investments have previously supported Messium, a company using satellite data and AI to help farmers reduce costs and environmental impact, contributing to £2.7 million in private investment in total.
Published by James Hydzik
James Hydzik is a technology geek focused on the junction of engineering, writing, and coffee. He joined Orbital Today in 2020 to help make sense of the Johnson government’s decision to buy OneWeb. Since then, he has taken on interviewing and editor-in-chief roles. James learned the ropes of editing and writing with Financial Times magazines, The World Bank, PwC, and Ericsson. Thus far, interviewing New Space movers has put the biggest smile on his workaday face. The son of an Electrical Engineer, James understands the value of putting complex topics into clear language for those with a lay person’s understanding of the subject. James is a European transplant from the United States, and as ex-KA3LLL, he now holds European amateur radio licenses. His next radio project is a portable 10GHz EME (moonbounce) station, as it combines his childhood interests in antennas and space.