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Satellite broadband for trains on one of Scotland’s most remote railway lines and low-cost crop sensors for farmers are among 16 projects sharing £13 million of government funding announced by the UK Space Agency on Tuesday.
The projects will be delivered through the European Space Agency’s Advanced Research in Telecommunication Systems (ARTES) programme, backed by UK government money. The agency, now part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, said the funding supports the companies and workers developing the satellite communications systems the UK will depend on for decades to come.
CGI IT UK receives £428,000 for its SODOR project, which will fit a ScotRail train on the West Highland Line with satellite communications equipment to provide reliable broadband in one of the UK’s most remote rail corridors, demonstrating how satellite technology can fill connectivity gaps where mobile and broadband networks do not reach.
The agency said the trial supports the government’s wider work to introduce satellite connectivity on all mainland trains, improving availability and connection speeds for passengers across the country.
In agriculture, London-based Farmer Charlie receives £199,000 for its GAUFF project, which is developing low-cost sensors that combine satellite and mobile connectivity to give farmers and growers real-time data on their crops, soil and local environment. The technology is designed to work in rural areas with poor or no internet coverage and is expected to be available by the end of next summer, the agency said.
Space Minister Liz Lloyd said: “This investment shows how innovations in the UK’s satellite sector can improve lives, with better connectivity delivering internet access for more train journeys, and smarter farming.
“By backing brilliant British companies, we are not only furthering our status as one of the world’s leading space powers, but creating high-quality jobs and new opportunities across the UK.”
The largest single award, £2.1 million, goes to London-based Exobotics for its STARS project. Working with Archangel Lightworks and the University of Nottingham, it will develop optical communications technology designed to provide near real-time connectivity for satellite operators, and will deliver the first satellites in a planned data relay network.
Other recipients include Airbus Defence and Space UK in Portsmouth, which receives £1.5 million to develop on-board processors that can be reprogrammed while in orbit, and Archangel Lightworks in Oxford, awarded £1,845,000 to build a laser communications system capable of transmitting data between satellites and the ground at more than 100 gigabits per second.
Aalyria Technologies receives £750,000 to work with Goonhilly Earth Station in Cornwall on networking technology that can maintain communications across the distances of deep space, laying groundwork for future lunar missions and programmes such as ESA’s Moonlight initiative.
Betty Bonnardel MBE, chief executive of Farmer Charlie, said: “We are delighted to receive the support of the UK Space Agency, through the European Agency, as it helps Farmer Charlie bring the benefits of precision agriculture to farmers across the UK.
“By combining affordable sensors with satellite connectivity, we are making it easier for growers to make informed decisions, improve productivity and farm more sustainably anywhere in the UK.”
According to the government’s Size and Health of the UK Space Industry 2024 report, the sector employs more than 55,000 people and brings £18.6 billion into the economy every year.
The announcement follows a separate £62 million funding package for UK space firms aimed at reducing reliance on foreign technology.
