The space sector employs 38,000 people across the UK
Left and right : © Max Alexander / UK Space Agency / 2014
Far more can be achieved through Local Enterprise Parnership schemes
Cultivating collaboration In February this year the Agency announced just under £ 200,000 in funding for four more business incubators : MassChallenge UK in London , a collaboration between the University of Strathclyde and Tontine incubation centre in Glasgow , a scheme in the South West led by the University of Exeter , and a joint scheme between the National Oceanography Centre ’ s Marine Robotics Innovation Centre in Southampton and the Innovation Space at the University of Portsmouth .
The UK Space Agency believes that far more can be achieved through collaborations with Local Enterprise Partnerships , the Devolved Administrations and regional centres of expertise across the UK . They want to help both space and non-space companies to develop space-enabled new products and services . This will change the geography of the sector to one that more directly benefits local economies .
The launch of technology into space is far from the end point as researchers strive to find new applications for their work , as typified by the start-up company Insect Research Systems Ltd . The company is building on an analytical approach developed at The Open University for the Rosetta space probe mission to develop a new system for near real-time , in-situ monitoring of bed bugs within hotels . The UK Space Agency has end-to-end involvement in this venture , from funding the initial research to the support provided to the company within ESA BIC . Insect Research Systems Ltd has also been supported through the Harwell Space Launchpad 2 competition from Innovate UK . ■
There are many opportunities for high tech , innovative companies to enter the space sector with help from the UK Space Agency : ukspace2017 . co . uk
Rosetta
© melowilo / Shutterstock
Rosetta was a space probe built by the European Space Agency and launched on 2 March 2004 . Along with the lander module Philae , Rosetta underwent a 10-year journey before performing a detailed study of comet 67P / Churyumov – Gerasimenko . The probe woke up on 20 January 2014 and deployed its Philae probe in November . The mission concluded as planned , on 30 September 2016 , with a controlled impact onto the comet following a two-year investigation .
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