UK Invests £6.9M in Five ESA ARTES Projects
The UK Space Agency is putting £6.9 million behind five British-led satellite communications projects through ESA’s ARTES programme in a boost aimed at strengthening UK leadership in next-gen satcom, 5G NTN, optical links, refuelling, and secure government communications.
With European demand for satellites forecast to reach £40 billion by 2033, the UK is positioning itself to capture a meaningful share with capabilities aligned to national priorities: PNT, satcom, in-orbit servicing, space domain awareness, and space data.
The five projects getting support are:
Orbit Fab – ASTRAL (£2.9M total / £1.3M awarded): Demonstrating in-orbit refuelling for electric-propulsion satellites extending lifetimes, improving resilience, and enabling safer manoeuvring.
Goonhilly – AGILE (£1.6M): Developing a LunaNet-compatible interface to let global antennas communicate seamlessly with lunar spacecraft.
Vicinity Technologies – 5G NTN (£1.19M): Building a regenerative 5G NTN payload and terminals, enabling scalable satellite-based 5G connectivity.
Archangel Lightworks + Eutelsat – SOLIS (£356k): Studying deployment of free-space optical communications within Eutelsat OneWeb’s LEO network.
Inmarsat Navigation Ventures (Viasat UK) – IVSON Phase 2 (£881k): Creating a platform for governments to manage and monitor multi-operator satcom services.
Officials highlighted the dual impact: bolstering UK industrial capability while improving national connectivity, particularly for rural and remote communities.
The announcement comes ahead of ESA’s Ministerial Council in Bremen, where the UK will negotiate future contributions. The government notes every £1 invested in ESA returns £7.49 to the UK economy.