UK enjoys space-based success with ESA
UK Science Minister Amanda Solloway was welcomed to ESA by the agency’s Director General Jan Wörner last week to discuss UK-related space activities.
The visit took place at ESA's European Centre for Space Applications and Technology (ECSAT) and British space research and technology development facility RAL Space, both based at Harwell in the UK. During the visit, ESA astronaut Tim Peake launched a campaign to mark five years since the beginning of his historic mission to the International Space Station.
The Director General, Science Minister and Peake were joined by ESA Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications Elodie Viau, ESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration David Parker, and Head of ESA's Policy and Programme Office Chiara Manfletti, as well as Alice Bunn, International Director at the UK Space Agency.
ESA, which is separate from the EU, is an enabler of space activities in its member states. Through its ESA membership, the UK is able to participate in space programmes that are beyond the scope of any one country.
Viau, who is also head of ECSAT, delivered an introduction to the site, which serves as the headquarters for ESA’s Directorate of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications. It also hosts the ESA Climate Office, as well as teams from other ESA directorates, and includes laboratories on the surrounding campus.
ECSAT is part of the Harwell Campus space cluster – a focal point for space-based innovation and collaboration, both within Europe and globally.
Viau then gave an overview of ESA’s telecommunications activities, highlighting the importance of collaboration in space as demonstrated by the successful ESA Partnership Projects and the ESA Space Solutions programme. These initiatives have fostered technological advancements achieved through cooperation between ESA and the UK.
The visit went on to explore how ESA is using space to enable future generations of telecommunications and space-based solutions.
The ESA 5G/6G Hub at ECSAT, which is being developed in collaboration with the UK Space Agency, will demonstrate the seamless connectivity delivered by integrating satellites with terrestrial communications infrastructure.
Attendees enjoyed a virtual demonstration of how converged networks could enable countless applications that improve life on Earth, including telemedicine and remote education solutions, and even entire smart city ecosystems.
An update on ESA’s contributions to international space exploration activities was delivered by Parker.
The UK’s subscription to ESA will enable continued participation in ambitious exploration initiatives, including ExoMars, a programme that will address the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars.
These contributions were demonstrated later in the day, when attendees inspected a replica of Rosalind Franklin, the ExoMars rover built and designed by Airbus in Stevenage, UK.
The rover will roam the martian surface, collecting and analysing samples of soil to search for evidence of past life buried underground.
The visit concluded at RAL Space, which is part of the Science and Technology Facilities Council.
Attendees were welcomed by the facility’s director Chris Mutlow, before being given a tour of RAL Space’s state-of-the-art National Satellite Testing Facility. Currently under construction, it will be the first UK facility with the capability to put large satellites through their paces before launch.
At RAL Space, the Science Minister launched the ‘Inspired by Tim’ campaign which marks the five year anniversary of Peake’s Principia mission.
It challenges people to share stories of how they were inspired by the sixth month trip to the International Space Station, with one lucky participant getting the chance to win a group video call with Peake himself.
Attendees enjoyed a short film that introduced the campaign.