ESA and the UK Space Agency Start Joint Initiative

The European Space Agency (ESA) and the UK Space Agency announced they have started a joint initiative. It was designed to explore wider applications of satellite communications in the UK, including work on 5G and 6G development.

The two agencies explained the partnership builds on the success of ESA’s research center in Harwell, which houses the European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT). The collaboration will see ESA and its UK counterpart expand the work done by ECSAT’s 5G/6G facility, focusing on satellite communications and the wider applications of satellite services, which already contribute around £360 billion of the country’s GDP.

The initiative will also cover the exploration of a space quantum laboratory and further development of activities related to in-orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing, which is vital to the sustainability of a satellite’s lifecycle during its orbit and to introduce new services to UK businesses and society. Further, five training schemes worth a combined £2.1 million will be introduced by the UK space body as part of an effort to tackle the skills gap in the “fast-growing, high-tech” sector.

Josef Aschbacher, director general at ESA, said its collaboration with the UK Space Agency aims to push forward new initiatives in high-growth areas, deliver better services to all European citizens, and grow our UK workforce to 200 people by 2030. Last year, ESA and the GSMA signed a memorandum of understanding to develop new satellite and terrestrial network technologies and improve their integration with 5G and future 6G systems.