A new opportunity has been announced for firms involved in telecommunications technology and aerial connectivity drone projects. The UK Space Agency has earmarked £20 million for these enterprises, offering a significant financial boost for innovative concepts such as drone-borne medical supplies delivery to hospitals, dedicated connectivity for emergency services, or bridging the communication gap in inaccessible areas.
This collaborative initiative is the latest allocation from the Advanced Research in Telecommunications Services (ARTES) programme affiliated with the European Space Agency (ESA). Earlier this year, a hefty £50 million from this program was pledged to support the development of new satellite constellations and the crucial supporting structures needed to utilise them.
Companies eager to grab a slice of the available £20 million can apply by highlighting their commitment to three critical areas: Drones; High-Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS), and High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE). Other innovative proposals could include projects to enhance connectivity for aerial platforms that can transition between satellite and terrestrial networks, as well as traffic management systems for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, often referred to as ‘flying taxis’.
The announcement was made by Chloe Smith, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology during a speech to inaugurate a new European Space Agency conference centre at the Harwell Space Cluster, Oxfordshire. Here, over 100 various space organisations have made their scientific home.
Smith commended the funding, stating, “From using drones to quickly get medicines to hospitals, through to boosting mobile network access in remote areas, the benefits of aerial connectivity cut through many aspects of our lives. The Government’s £20 million investment will further strengthen the UK’s fast-growing satellite communications industry, which already contributes more than £10 billion to our economy and supports over 26,000 jobs. It will improve our health and security, too, and support our plan to level up every part of the UK.”
Echoing Smith’s enthusiasm, Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said, “The new state-of-the art conference centre at ECSAT is a very welcome addition to the world-class science campus at Harwell, offering an attractive base for collaboration and networking between people working in the space sector and beyond.”
Whilst the primary purpose of such funding is to generate innovation, the precise product derived from such investiture remains largely undefined. However, with the rise of future-focused industries and concepts such as eVTOL aircraft, this seems to be the nature of such endeavours – funding bodies provide the capital, and the industry presents the pioneering ideas. Time will be the judge of how soon we’ll see ‘flying taxis’ or comparable advances coming to life. Stay tuned for updates as we follow this journey of exploration and innovation in the telecommunications space.
